← Sunday Sports Club with Allison Kuch
Sunday Sports Club with Allison Kuch
Life as an NFL backup quarterback with guest Jacob Eason
01:19:11
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- [00:00]
A
The following podcast is a Dear Media Production. What's up, guys? Welcome back to Sunday Sports Club Podcast, a podcast all about sports told by a woman. But today we have the Jacob Eason. Let me just give a little intro to who Jacob Eason is. He played quarterback for the University of Georgia and the University of Washington until he turned pro. Played on a couple of NFL teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, which is where we met with Isaac, and the most recently experienced friendsgiving in Napa with me. So I feel like we go way back. It's been, like, four years.
- [00:38]
B
Yeah. Since 2020. It's been a while.
- [00:40]
A
Yeah. So back when Isaac played for the Indianapolis Colts, I met your ex, and we ended up all starting to hang out. And then you guys are obviously no longer together, and Jacob now has a cute little girlfriend named Hannah. And it's crazy because we have this, like, huge experience in the NFL, but now we are experiencing life outside of the NFL.
- [01:06]
B
Yeah, no, it's. It's been a wild ride. I've got to see, you know, like, you're saying I got to see you guys and meet you guys before Scottie was ever in the picture.
- [01:14]
A
Yeah.
- [01:14]
B
To get, you know, a little bit.
- [01:15]
A
As our first year of marriage. So we were just like. We were acting like boyfriend, girlfriend.
- [01:19]
B
Yeah, no, it was fun. It was. You guys were a great, like, couple for me to get to know early in my career. Um, you know, obviously at the time with Sydney, it was great for her too. But no, we've. We've all been through different phases of life, and now we're here, and. And I'm just glad we stuck it out for. For as long as we have because we made a lot of great memories and we have so many more to make in the future.
- [01:39]
A
Absolutely. And I feel we can talk about this later on in the podcast too. But, like, friendships in the NFL, it's not even a hit or miss situation, but it's hard to find people who you, like, genuinely mesh with and, like, get along with, even outside of football, because football is easy. Go into the facility and, like, be friends with people and, like, hang out in a team setting. But then outside of football, like, you guys lived in Orange county and now you live in la, and it's like, we're still making time to, like, hang out with each other, and it's crazy. Just friendships go way beyond the NFL.
- [02:09]
B
Absolutely. And that's one of the coolest things about having you guys. You know, I. I've been through so many different phases and so many different teams I've always had you guys to. To count on and lean on for whatever the situation may be. So I'm super thankful for that.
- [02:22]
A
Yeah. And it's crazy because when you. Pretty big changes in your career. I mean, the. One of. The biggest one being getting picked up by the Seattle Seahawks. But we'll get into that in a second. I want to take it all the way back because your dad played football at the University of Notre Dame, which is where Isaac went to college, so there's like a little common ground there. But did you grow up always knowing you wanted to play football?
- [02:46]
B
I did. I grew up in a very athletic, motivated household. My dad, obviously, as you said, played. I actually grew up a huge Notre Dame fan. Never. Never having been to Indiana, never having been to south be.
- [02:58]
A
He didn't take you to games growing up?
- [03:00]
B
No, I mean, I grew up in Washington, so it was a long ways away. He was a fireman. My mom, you know, worked in the school district, and I had an older brother and sister, so we were always doing, you know, everything else amongst them. Yeah, exactly. So it's hard to get out to South Bend on a Saturday when you got youth sports and all that stuff. Lily's playing volleyball, but yeah, no, you know, I grew up watching Notre Dame on CBS every Saturday morning with the green uniform, Joe Montana on. And, you know, I wanted to be a. I wanted to be just like my dad, so I wanted to go to Notre Dame and do the whole thing. And it wasn't until later that I, you know, actually started getting recruited and things changed. And, yeah, different coaches kind of turned me away. But, yeah, no, I grew up in a very athletic household. My dad coached me from Little League all the way up through high school.
- [03:41]
A
Oh, that's cute.
- [03:43]
B
Yeah, it was amazing. And my older brother was. He was a little smaller than me, so he played football up until his sophomore year, and then he. Then he's transitioned to wrestling. But I was able to play with him a little bit in baseball and do some basketball stuff. Always looked up to him as well. And my sister's quite the. Quite the volleyball player. So we grew up in a very athletic household. And it was. It was an awesome.
- [04:00]
A
It was all about sports. I love that. And Isaac mentioned this. He was. Isaac's brother. Knew of you before, like, our friendship, because you were a pretty big deal in high school. Like, you were Gatorade player of the year. You were highly recruit. You were like, literally, if not the number one recruit, like, high recruited, and you ended up choosing Georgia. So Talk a little bit about that experience. Like, when did you know, like, oh, I'm definitely going to be playing football in college. And more specifically, a college quarterback. I feel like those. Like, there's just. There's only one quarterback, one starting quarterback on each college team. So talk about, like, the recruiting process.
- [04:41]
B
Yeah. So you just made that point. The one starting quarterback on every team. That obviously factored huge in the amount of decision. Going back a little bit, I always knew I wanted to play college football. You know, as I mentioned before, I was a huge Notre Dame fan growing up. So every Saturday, we're watching all the games. Notre Dame, uw, all of them. So I ended up getting my first offer from Oregon State my sophomore year. I remember very vividly. And then after that, it was Washington State. And then the floodgates opened up, but.
- [05:08]
A
Everybody remembers their, like, first offer. Yeah, Isaac's was like, Ball State or something, right? No, maybe it was Boston College. Oh, God. Isaac's gonna get pissed at me. He's like, no, actually.
- [05:17]
B
But yeah. So it started off as Oregon State. You know, I did the. I did what everybody does. I did the. The local showcases, you know, where you go with 500 kids and everybody.
- [05:25]
A
I actually don't know. I don't know anything about. So it's just like a showcase.
- [05:28]
B
Yeah. So Washington State, they had these things. Taylor Barton, at the time was doing them. Steve Gervis had a few. You'd bring, like, I don't even know how. 500 kids. You'd pay X amount of dollars. You get a T shirt. You go to a camp, and they're supposedly scouts and. And all this stuff. Right. I don't know how legit it was, but apparently it was enough to get me on the map here and there. So, yeah, I did a few of those. I ended up going to a few. Just college, you know, summer camps. Went down to Oregon State, went down to Corvallis, went to Washington State, the local UW camps.
- [05:57]
A
I didn't know recruiting was that intense. So you're like. Like, trying to. Like, it's not just, oh, you play high school football and then get recruited. Like, there's things you can do to help.
- [06:07]
B
Right. 100% do all those. But, like, also having a good highlight tape helps a lot, too. So I had that. I had. I actually got hurt my freshman year. I broke my arm the fourth game. I just got in the starting job, and we were playing Monroe High School, who we don't like in Lake Stevens, which is a deep cut from. From Washington State High School. Football, so I don't expect you to know that, but no, yeah, I had a great, great sophomore year, and then it was after that, with that tape and then doing some of those camps. And also my quarterback coach at the time, Steve Jervis, was a former college coach who had connections all across the board, so that helps. He played a heavy hand in getting offer, and then from there, you know, once you get one, the more start coming. So, yeah, after my sophomore year is really when it became a reality. And my dad was also super helpful in the process, having been a college player himself and one of my coaches. So I. All my coaches in high school were great. Tom Shri, Lou Whitman. Right. You know, we'd have coaches coming through all the time after, you know, the offer started coming in, because then the recruitment's on now. It's a who can get me kind of thing.
- [07:10]
A
So the only thing I know about the recruitment process is from the movie the Blind side. Is it kind of accurate in that that, like, coaches are actually coming to your house?
- [07:19]
B
Absolutely.
- [07:20]
A
Especially for a quarterback, because a quarterback, some would argue, is like one of the most important positions. Like you can build a team around a good quarterback. So you had coaches just like coming up to Lake Stevens?
- [07:29]
B
Yeah, I've actually got a few, like, really memorable ones. I remember when Kirby Smart just got the job at Georgia, and I was already committed, but I had, you know, I had kind of taken a step back.
- [07:39]
A
Right.
- [07:39]
B
To see. All right, who's Kirby Smart, who's a new coach at Georgia? He ended up for his first flight at Georgia, was coming to my living room, was around Christmas time after my junior year.
- [07:47]
A
And your mom's just like, oh, do you want some coffee?
- [07:50]
B
Yeah, exactly. We're sitting around the Christmas tree in the living room and just talking Georgia football. What his plans were and you know, who he was going to bring in as a staff. And so, yeah, we had Kirby. We had Jim Harbaugh at my high school basketball game. That was nuts. You know, it's. I grew up in a smallish town, so it wasn't like. It wasn't. And there was not a lot of heavily recruited guys before me. I think the. The first One that went D1 before me was in the 80s when my dad played. I think it was Brian Slater. So you can cross check me on that after this episode. But, yeah, so, like, we're in a huge town on the map now. Now we are. We've actually. We're back to back state champions. 2023 or 2022 and 2023. But up until when I was there in 2016, that we weren't a really heavily recruited spot for football, which I.
- [08:36]
A
Feel like also sometimes does kind of matter. And I've. Because it. But also it helps that your high school coach, like head coach in college. So, like, the connection was there. But I was just talking to somebody yesterday about how like Texas, it's like you get recruited to high school.
- [08:51]
B
Correct.
- [08:52]
A
It's insane. And I feel like football has changed so much from like, what it once was, especially when you were getting recruited.
- [08:58]
B
Absolutely. And you know, obviously now with nil and, and the transfer rules and all that, everything is. It's like the Wild West. It's all different. So, yeah, there's, there's. I know even in Washington there's kids going to prep schools and private schools because they have a better football program in the hopes of getting to a better school. But no, I was very fortunate in the position. I grew up and I grew up in a very tight knit community where everybody knew everybody. I got to play with my best friends from Little League all the way through.
- [09:23]
A
That's cute.
- [09:24]
B
And yeah, I was just fortunate enough to have a big strong arm and be six. Six and a dad who knows balls. So I.
- [09:31]
A
It all, it all helps.
- [09:32]
B
Yeah.
- [09:32]
A
So then why Georgia? Did you ever think about, like, Notre Dame? Did you get an offer from, like.
- [09:36]
B
I did.
- [09:37]
A
Okay.
- [09:37]
B
I thought about a lot of schools. I don't want to cut you off here, but.
- [09:40]
A
No, you're fine. I'm asking.
- [09:43]
B
I ended up, like, whittling down. I was very fortunate enough to be able to pick from a ton of different schools where I could go. So I knew I was a Washington fan. I, you know, I grew up in the state. I was also a Wazoo fan. All my, all my buddies ended up going to Wazoo, but Washington actually offered me later than a lot of Wazoo is.
- [10:01]
A
I have no idea. I'm from Michigan, Washington State, the Cougars at the time.
- [10:06]
B
Yeah, there you go. It was, it was Mike Leach at the time at Wazoo, and when I was getting recruited by uw, it was Chris Peterson shortly after Sarkeesian.
- [10:14]
A
Okay.
- [10:15]
B
But Washington offered me late. Wazoo obviously offered me early. But I, you know, in. In learning from my dad, he went to Notre Dame and he also grew up in Snohomish county, the neighboring town from where I grew up.
- [10:28]
A
Okay.
- [10:28]
B
And he always told me, like, don't limit where you want to go to school based on where home is, because you're going to limit a lot of different opportunity and, you know, so I took that and I kind of like, hey, let me, let me look at, you know, three, four, five schools. And then my parents were fortunate enough to, hey, let's do a summer trip where we can hit four or five of those different schools and we'll send you to, you know, a couple west coast schools and we'll send you to Notre Dame. Because, you know, I was obviously interested in Notre Dame. So I ended up going to. I took a summer trip with my, me and my brother and my sister and my mom and my dad. We went to, Flew to Atlanta.
- [11:04]
A
Wow.
- [11:04]
B
Drove down to Tallahassee, Florida, visited Florida State, did a camp there, drove up to Tuscaloosa, did a camp there, Alabama, and then we finished in Athens and then flew back home out of Atlanta. And those were three of my top schools at the time. That's where I got my first real, like, introduction and experience at University of Georgia. And I kind of fell in love with it right away.
- [11:26]
A
Right.
- [11:27]
B
Obviously the football program was top tier. The facilities, the stadium, all that was incredible. They did this camp called Dog Night. It was like under the lights. All the top recruits in Georgia who.
- [11:37]
A
They really put on a show.
- [11:38]
B
It's nuts. It's like the SEC and Georgia fans are just super, super into football down there. So, like, getting to experience and feel that as a 16, 17, 18 year old was like, out of this world. I was like, I want to come here and play football and be a part of this. So that was like my first introduction. And obviously, like downtown Athens is incredible. The food, Southern.
- [11:57]
A
You fall in love with everything.
- [11:58]
B
Yeah, it was, it wasn't all. Only just football. It was coaching staff, school experience, all of it.
- [12:03]
A
So it is such a big decision, though, because your entire life is going to be projected one way or the other based off of what college you go to. And some people would disagree, but I do think that how well a college football team does affects your draft process and like, how high you might get drafted. And it affects a lot. So then you play football. You're the quarterback for University of Georgia. When did you decide to transfer?
- [12:30]
B
So, yeah, I was. That's a great question. I played and I started my freshman year. I started every game but the first one we played North Carolina.
- [12:39]
A
Were you scared as shit?
- [12:41]
B
I was nervous. I think everybody has nerves. I know people like to say they don't, but, you know, it's a full. It's. There's a lot. It's football. So, you know, especially as a quarterback where you know so much of the game is in your control from you're touching the ball every play. I definitely had some nerves, but I think it's good. Like, I had good nerves. And I remember being on the headset the first week we played in the Chick Fil? A kickoff game in the old Georgia Dome versus North Carolina. It was Mitch Trubisky at the time, Ryan Switzer, that whole crew. Grayson Lambert started that game. Love Grayson. He was an incredible dude to learn from. I competed with him. He was a transfer from Virginia at the time, a fifth year senior, and I was a true freshman. So I started the game as a backup. It was somewhere along the. Halfway through the first, maybe into the second quarter, I'm on the headset, getting the calls, and then I hear Kirby say, hey, like, I think it's time to put the kid in. I'm like, oh, I'm the kid. Like, that's. That's me. So, like, I get that instant, like the butterfly. Yeah. The butterflies and the heart. Yeah. And then I remember, you know, the next drive, the next series going out there, and just the place erupted and it was nuts. And I'm like, this is it. Like, we're. We're going.
- [13:50]
A
And whenever I have adrenaline, my hands start shaking. Your hands can't shake when you're a quarterback, right.
- [13:55]
B
You got to be kind of even keel and chill. But that's all part of, like that whole freshman year learning process was managing those, you know, managing, you know, being a freshman start in the SEC because you're going to go through ups and downs. Like, we had an incredible team and incredible staff, but, you know, there was so much I learned from that year. So I ended up starting. I don't know how many was it 11 out of 12 games. That year we went to the. We played TCU in the Liberty pool in Memphis. That was a fun game. Played against Kenny Trill. And then. Yeah. So the next year, Jake Fromm came in and ended up competing with him for the job over camp and in the spring ended up winning the job. And then first week, it was the second series against Appalachian State at home, home opener. Got pushed out of bounds late and dinged up my knee. So I was out eight weeks with that.
- [14:45]
A
Yikes.
- [14:46]
B
Georgia goes on to go eight zero with Fromm. We're rolling. Fromm's a hell of a quarterback, too. He's still on P squad in Detroit. So shout out Jake. But yeah, we had a great team. We had Nick Chubb and Sonny Michelle in the backfield. We had Mikole Hardman at receiver, Riley Ridley. We had a, we had a great squad.
- [15:04]
A
And that's gonna be tough though, like getting injured and seeing your team like continue on.
- [15:10]
B
It was super hard. But like, I'm sure as we get into this episode we'll start talking about NFL stuff. It actually taught me a lot about how to, how to manage those emotions that I was not used to after being a, you know, four year starter in high school, being the number one guy coming in and starting as a freshman. It was definitely a lot from the competitive, like challenging mindset as, as wanting to be the guy, but I had to really kind of embody that team first, you know, thing because if I had made it a scene about that, I didn't want to be the guy that was making it about me. And you know, we were eight now. I could see, I could, I could understand why Kirby made the decision he did. And I fully respect Kirby as a head coach. Still do to this day. He's incredible. It was just one of those situations where I had to do what I could to continue to improve and grow as a player, but also be there for my team. And then, you know, it's a contact sport, so at any given time, same thing could have happened to Jake and I would have been right back in.
- [16:02]
A
Right. When did you make your decision that you were like, sorry, when did you make your decision that you thought to yourself, okay, maybe it's best if I head out?
- [16:14]
B
So it was, we played, we ended up going to the national championship that year against Alabama. Oh, that's when, yeah, that's when Tua came in and threw it up the, up the sideline and a whole shot to devonte Smith and they won. It was the week before that game. You know, I had dwindling thoughts throughout, you know, the back half of the year, like, all right, what am I, what am I realistically going to do here? We're rolling. Jake's a good player. And then they had Justin Fields coming in the next year, so I wasn't sure if they were going to transition towards like a running style, you know, zone re type offense. I'm a pro style passer. Like, I'm a pocket.
- [16:48]
A
I know, I have no idea what that means.
- [16:50]
B
I'm like, I'm like a Peyton Manning, not a Lamar Jackson. Okay, so that's, that's what that means. But so I was kind of curious. I'm like, what are they, what, what route are they going to go here? And obviously we had a great team, so I don't Know what? Coaches are going to be gone here. Like, what. What is the best decision for me to go in and continue my college career, you know, and continue my aspirations of getting to the league?
- [17:11]
A
Because the, like, the chances of you being about the backup quarterback and going to the NFL, they start dwindling down.
- [17:19]
B
Right, right. It's slim. Exactly. And then the other. On. On top of that, it's like, I know Jake. Jake just had a stellar year as a true freshman. He's now going to be a true sophomore with all of that in his back pocket. And then we're going to bring Justin on top of that. So do I have to compete with Jake, who just balled out one of the national champions as a freshman, and Justin, who's the number one recruit coming out of about 45 minutes south of Athens? And I wasn't afraid of competition, but at the same time, I'm like, realistically here, what are my chances here versus if I were to transfer somewhere else and go know, at the time I had to sit out of here, it was before the transfer rule and it was before the nil.
- [17:54]
A
So, okay, so. So if you transferred, you had to sit out a whole year.
- [17:58]
B
Correct. Unless I lowered up. And, you know, some guys did that. I. I didn't really think that was, like, the right thing to do because you had to kind of go through some loopholes, and I didn't want ever to have any question marks about, you know.
- [18:08]
A
So now what are the transfer rules? You can transfer and play.
- [18:12]
B
Yeah, you can transfer and play right away. I think, like, even I don't know what the exact rules are, but there's guys just flying out left and right and. And it's almost, in a way, like, it's from. From what I've heard, I'm obviously not in college sports right now, but it's. I don't. I would have almost rather had it. I definitely would have rather had it my way because, like, you pick a school and you stick it out. Like, nowadays, kids, you know, you don't get the job, you're out. But then there's three other kids transferring to the same spot.
- [18:37]
A
So it's like, it works in your favor, too.
- [18:39]
B
Correct.
- [18:39]
A
Okay, so that makes sense.
- [18:41]
B
Which is nice because I ended up transferring to Washington, and at the time, Jake Browning was the starter, and I knew that. I knew I had to sit out a year. I knew he was going into his senior year. So I'm like, okay, let me go here, where Jake is the established starter and he's going to Play this season. I'm going to learn and soak it up and be the scout team guy, Learn the offense, get to know the players, get to know the coaches, get to know the universe. Not that I needed another university more than I did because it was in my backyard growing up, but yeah, so I decided to transfer to Washington and see that through and it ended up working out in my favor. So it was, there was a lot that went into it and the other, you know, the other things was like, all right, do I want to go somewhere else and try this all over again in a place that's completely foreign or do I want to have the benefit of playing?
- [19:22]
A
There was like a familiarity.
- [19:23]
B
Correct. And also Chris Peterson is another all time head coach, one of my favorites. So that, that factored into it as well. But yeah, I ended up back to your question, making that decision back half of the year. Didn't say anything until after the year because again, I wanted to make sure.
- [19:39]
A
You kind of sit on it. You have to make sure that you're 100% right.
- [19:42]
B
And then also we were going on a national championship run, so I didn't want any of the narrative to be about me leaving the team while the team was such a strong unit and we had all this stuff going for us. So there was, there was a lot that kind of factored into it behind the scenes. A lot of times my dad and yeah, it was good.
- [19:57]
A
That's kind of cool though, that you have your dad to be the sounding board because he kind of understands to an extent, like all of the feelings and like the pressure and just like football in general. And so it's good that you had that support system, especially going to the NFL draft and like entering that process. So you did or did not graduate college before entering the NFL draft?
- [20:19]
B
I did not. Which, if I could give any advice out there, I would say make sure you, if you, I mean, obviously if you're. No, if you know, you're a top five guy, go do it, but if not, get that degree. Because right now I am currently, I have two finals this week and I'm done, which is awesome.
- [20:34]
A
Congratulations.
- [20:35]
B
My mom's so happy for me. Thank you, thank you. But no, yeah, get the degree if you can, but I did not to answer your question.
- [20:43]
A
So you. What does that look like? You look declared. Declared or what?
- [20:48]
B
Like, yeah, so you have to talk to your coach, you have to talk, you know, your academic advisors. You have to, you know, like put everything on hold.
- [20:54]
A
Right.
- [20:55]
B
And the NFLPA and everything does a Great job of like allowing guys to go back and graduate. So that's what I'm currently doing. And, and, but yeah, you have to talk to your coach. You know, a lot of, a lot of, you know, you have to talk to agents too after you talk to your coach and get that all figured out.
- [21:09]
A
So quick question about now that you're getting your degree, like after you've gotten drafted and everything, do you pay for it or is the NFL still or is the NFL?
- [21:19]
B
No. So actually I was a scholarship player at University of Washington, so I haven't technically like retired yet. I haven't gone through the, through the, through that, to that process. So once you do, then the NFL can go back and reimburse you for it. But I remain really close with my academic advisor at Washington and also I was a student athlete there, so I.
- [21:37]
A
Didn'T even know my academic advisor right.
- [21:40]
B
So shout out Liberty. She's the best. I ended up just taking online classes through the communications department and I was still on skill on scholarships.
- [21:49]
A
Oh, wow. Okay. That's incredible that because I was like, do you have to pay for that? Okay, that's nice. I gotta say, I am not the only person in my household with a New Year's resolution. And I'm not talking about my husband or my 1 year old. I'm talking about our dogs. When it comes to our dogs, I've been trying to feed them as healthy as possible and I've been doing a lot of research and that's when I've came across the farmer's dog. And I am guaranteeing to feed them the farmer's dog all throughout the new year and feeding them something that they actually enjoy, something that I know what are in their ingredients and it's a win win. They love it, it's healthy for them and it's really easy for me to use. So this year you can give your dog a fresh start too. The farmer's dog makes feeding real healthy dog food easy and convenient and your dog's gonna like it. My dogs are obsessed with a farmer's dog. They have these pre portioned meals and they're personalized for your dog's needs which make it simple to help your dog reach and maintain a healthy weight. If you've ever thought about making the switch, now is the time. So it makes them different from other dog foods is the farmer's dog is developed by on staff board certified vets and veterinary nutritionists to be complete and balanced. So it's made from human grade food, real meat, real veggies and they're gently cooked with the safety and quality standards of human food. So like even the best quote unquote traditional dry and wet dog food options are highly processed and because pet food is very loosely regulated, it can be a lower quality than they even claim to be themselves. So right now you can get 50% off your first box of fresh healthy food at the FarmerDog.com Sunday plus you get free shipping. So just go to the FarmersDog.com sundae and get 50% off. That's the FarmersDog.com sundae. 2025 is right around the corner and every new year I like to take a look at my goals. What I want the next year to look like. Fitness, Health, Babies. I'm thinking about everything and I feel the need to talk about Burn Boot Camp because I've been going to Burn Boot Camp for the past four, five or six years. It is my favorite workout class. It is so non judgmental. It's a welcoming community, there's tons of other moms and I always get feedback whenever I talk about going to a workout class. Everyone's like oh my gosh, how are you jumping into workout classes after having a baby? And Burn Boot Camp is my favorite place to do it. Obviously I've only had one baby but after I was postpartum going back to these classes like the instructors are so welcoming. The community is there and I truly love Burn Boot Camp and right now Burn Boot camp is offering 30 days for 59 to jump start your commitment to you which is perfect for the new year. And I mean let's be real. As a mom you're juggling a million things and self care sometimes can feel impossible. And like Burn Boot Camp gets that. So they have child watch and workouts that fit in your schedule so you can prioritize yourself without feeling the guilt. I started bringing my daughter and I was obviously very nervous to do that, but she is so excited to go every time. She loves playing with the other K and I also get to get a workout in so it's a win win situation. This commit to fit promotion is a call to action to reclaim those promises you made to yourself because they do matter. So pull them off the shelf, blow the dust off them and seize the moment for self care through commitment. At Burn they believe it's not what you lose, it's what you gain. Strength, confidence, community and they're setting a new standard in fitness. I truly love Burn Boot Camp you guys. I again have been going for almost five years. Burn Boot Camp is changing the way women see their bodies. And I truly believe it. So visit burn bootcamp.com Sunday Sports Club so then you go through this whole getting drafted process, which, I mean we can touch on a little bit. You. Did you go the combine? Did you, you went, did you go to the senior bowl?
- [26:03]
B
I did not because I was not graduated.
- [26:05]
A
Oh, you weren't?
- [26:06]
B
Yeah. You have to like be a senior and be graduated. So I was technically a red shirt junior when I declared because I, I started as a true freshman, but I red shirted when I transferred. So that was my red shirt junior year.
- [26:17]
A
And for the people who have no idea what the a red shirt is, what is that?
- [26:21]
B
It's basically like. Yeah. When you have to, when you don't play in a season. Right.
- [26:25]
A
Yes. You can sit out a season.
- [26:26]
B
Yeah.
- [26:26]
A
For whatever reason.
- [26:28]
B
Whatever reason. If you're not playing and then you get. Yeah. So I don't, I guess I technically don't even understand it myself, but I, I. Red shirt.
- [26:35]
A
A red shirt year means you didn't play that year.
- [26:37]
B
Correct.
- [26:37]
A
Okay, so then you, you do the combine. Isaac always describes a combine as like a meat market because like they measure your hands, they measure your height, they measure how high you can jump, how fast you can run. Like it's literally a meat market.
- [26:50]
B
Absolutely. I think that's the best way to put it.
- [26:52]
A
And on paper, like how tall are you?
- [26:55]
B
I was, I had measured in at the combine at six, five and three quarters. Justin Herbert got six, six on the dot. So I of pissed about that. But yeah, I always called myself six'six but I guess I'm six'five and three quarters.
- [27:08]
A
That's what the meat market people ask like the specifics. I'm like, I literally tell people I'm five'eleven and a half cuz I do not want to own the six feet. So then the draft comes around. Did you. What were your thoughts and feelings towards the draft and like what was the experience? Because it's a fucking stressful experience. Waiting to get a call.
- [27:26]
B
Yeah, it was super stressful. But at the same time it was like an accumulation of a huge, A college career that had gone not exactly how I had predicted. But like I was super happy to have gone through everything that I did. So I, I definitely was nervous. A lot of stress. But at the same time I'm like, I just tried to enjoy the moment because that's, that's a moment that not a lot of people get to experience. And I was very fortunate to be in the position where I was invited to the combine and then also, like, you know, everything there eligible to be drafted in the NFL draft, you know, that was a. That's an accumulation of a lifetime of work that, you know, and a goal of mine that I'd had since I was just a little kid tossing the rock with dad before the school bus, you know, so.
- [28:08]
A
And I'm sure it's a surreal moment, even, like, knowing, like, oh, the NFL draft is next week and I'm going to get drafted. And your dad never played in the NFL?
- [28:16]
B
No.
- [28:16]
A
So it was a surreal experience, I'm sure, for the whole family.
- [28:19]
B
Absolutely. And they. So they all. They all came down. We were at a. We rented a house in Costa Mesa. I had four or five of my best high school friends there as well. And we had like the, you know, the camera set up kind of like this, or in the case that I did get drafted, it would be on ESPN or whatever the draft was on.
- [28:36]
A
And did they start filming day one?
- [28:38]
B
They did, and I got drafted day three. So I sat there through the first round, the second round, the third round, and then the fourth round. Pick 122, Indianapolis Colts called and. And that was where I.
- [28:52]
A
And took you off the board?
- [28:53]
B
At my moment, yeah, it was.
- [28:55]
A
Sit back. I mean, the three days of waiting for the call, looking at lights, looking at cameras, knowing that, like, especially towards, like, the middle of the draft, they start putting like, oh, here's the number one quarterback. Here's like, whatever. And so you're just sitting there waiting.
- [29:10]
B
Like, thinking what I'm like, I hope I get picked. Like, I got all these cameras here, which I was. I was hesitant at first. You know, I was very confident that I would get taken, but I didn't know when it was going to happen.
- [29:21]
A
Right.
- [29:21]
B
You know, we had a lot of good quarterbacks in the draft that year, and. And a lot of good players in general. So, you know, and you never know, like, people, your agents be like, oh, here's what we're thinking. You know, it could be from this to this to this, but at the end of the day, a lot of things happen on draft day.
- [29:35]
A
So a lot of things happen, and.
- [29:37]
B
A lot of things happen.
- [29:38]
A
It's crazy because if one player, like, doesn't get taken as high as they think it's going to take, and it's like a domino effect of, like, a team could grab a different person and they. They don't grab you. And it's just. It's crazy.
- [29:50]
B
It's a. It a crazy experience. And Then especially like when you, when you're like on the team later on and then you, you watch a draft again, knowing what had happened. Like, I don't know, it was a crazy day, but I was again, like, it was one of the days I'll never forget because it was a, it was a, like I said, a lifelong achievement had come true. So I was very fortunate to get the call from Indy. I actually, going back, I was a huge Colts fan growing up randomly, because I love Peyton Manning. He looked like my dad and he was like a pocket style thrower. And I was like, like, let's go. This is like, this is crazy coincidence, yada, yada, yada. But no, draft day was awesome. It was, it was stressful. But once I got that call, everything.
- [30:29]
A
Else went out the window.
- [30:31]
B
Yeah. Cracked a beer with the buddies, jumped in the pool.
- [30:33]
A
You're. Yeah. You're celebrating. And when. So would you be, would you say that you were happy with the round and like the position that you got drafted?
- [30:42]
B
Yeah, I mean, like I always say, I would never change a thing. Like, yeah, would I have liked to be drafted in the first round? For sure. But then you look back, I mean, same draft in the first round, like, yeah, the money's great, but the position you're in, there's a lot more pressure, pressure, urge to play right now. A lot of the guys that get drafted higher on worse organizations with, with bad rashes around them. So I felt good about going into Indianapolis. It was, you know, a dream come true. A team that I rooted for my whole life. And so, yeah, no, it was, I was, I was happy with where I was drafted and I was just eager to get there and kind of get the playbook down, meet the players, meet the coaches and get going.
- [31:21]
A
And you. So you played with the Indianapolis Colts for a year before Isaac got signed to the Colts. So how was that year? I mean, in terms of quarterbacks, what was it? Was it Philip Rivers?
- [31:33]
B
Was Philip Rivers. Yeah, Philip Rivers.
- [31:35]
A
Jacobi, Incredible guy.
- [31:37]
B
Incredible guy. One of the best, one of the best guys I've ever played with, can handle throwing footballs.
- [31:42]
A
And nine children.
- [31:44]
B
Correct. 10. One more on the way. Yeah, since, since we've left. So he is one of the like, obviously future hall of Famer, one of the, like another one of those guys I grew up watching, you know, like.
- [31:56]
A
Was it cool to play behind a quarterback that had such a intense career in the NFL?
- [32:01]
B
Yeah, absolutely. I learned a lot. But at the same time, playing behind Philip, he was 17 years in at the time. I was a Rookie, so sitting 17 years. 17 years in. So he had been playing since I was a little kid, collecting his cards, like, you know, but at the same time, like, I learned so much from him. But at the same time, it was so much knowledge so quickly because he was so experienced and advanced. Yeah, like, going.
- [32:26]
A
He doesn't know how to dumb it down.
- [32:27]
B
Going through, you know, past breakups, going through everything, it was just, like, so fast and going through it, and his verbiage was just dad gummet, dad gum. And so it was. It was. There was so much information being thrown at me so fast. I soaked as much as I could up, like, but I don't know if I had the. The capacity to. To soak up everything football wise. Like, I learned so much from him as a man, as a leader, as a father, like, and as a leader on the team. He was incredible. Like, he was, if not the best, one of the best that I've been around.
- [32:55]
A
He knows his way around a football team. And something that Isaac mentions is that when he got drafted and the first game he ever played in, it came to his head like, holy, I'm playing with grown men. Like, the guy next to me has an entire family. He has, like, five children. He's, like, grown. And like, here is Isaac coming out of college. Like, literal. Is it intimidating playing with?
- [33:18]
B
Definitely.
- [33:18]
A
Because there's such an age gap when it comes to the NFL in college, you really don't get that. You get a little bit, but not at that level.
- [33:25]
B
No. You hit it on the nose. Like, Philip was obviously a crazy example because he has nine children and a huge family.
- [33:32]
A
I am a child.
- [33:33]
B
Yeah. It was also 20. 20 was a weird year because it was covet. Yeah.
- [33:36]
A
Oh, I didn't even think about that.
- [33:38]
B
Yeah. It was just a weird. So my rookie experience was. Was like, half the games had no fans. We had no preseason. Like, we were zoom meeting all the way up until training camp. And it was just this weird. Like, we were going through seven on seven walkthroughs, virtually. Like, if that. If you can even conceptualize what that looks like.
- [33:56]
A
I can't, because I don't even know it. Like, I was.
- [33:58]
B
I was sitting in my apartment in. On Balboa on a zoom meeting, like, going through my cadence and talking about coverage, like, as it was like, on a. On a picture, a moving picture on my screen with the whole offense. It was. It was the most bizarre thing I'd ever. I'd ever gone through. But, you know, it was. That's all we could do at the time with. With the pandemic. So that was the. The initiation to the. To the NFL. And then it was straight into training camp from there, so we hit the ground running. So you talk about, like, 0 to 100. You see all their faces on zoom, and you're talking about, like, grown men and families, but then in person, my first, like, welcome to the NFL was when I walked into the indoor training facility for our first walkthrough. Quentin Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith. Oh, Anthony Costanzo. Like, these dudes were massive.
- [34:44]
A
Massive.
- [34:44]
B
And I'm like, holy. I thought I was big. Like, I'm a six. Six guy, but I'm, like, looking at these dudes, I'm like, I don't even know if I can see. Quint Nelson and Ryan Kelly are big boys. Yeah, big boys. Great dudes. Big dudes.
- [34:56]
A
Yeah. Absolutely.
- [34:57]
B
Yeah. So that was my kind of welcome. Like, oh, this is like, this is grown man football.
- [35:02]
A
Obviously. I have to touch on the fact that Isaac got signed to the cold. That was his first time going to a team that we. That was new, right. Because he had gotten drafted by the Chargers, stayed there for four years, made friendships, all of that. And so when Isaac got signed to the Colts, we were like, oh, like, what is. How is this going to compare to a different team? And it took, like, a few games, but eventually, like, we started hanging out. And I think the first time I ever went over your house was the game you got thrown into towards the end of the game.
- [35:31]
B
La Ram. Quite the experience.
- [35:35]
A
Yeah. So how. So was that your first game, getting thrown into with Colts?
- [35:39]
B
Yeah, so that was my first. My first regular season game.
- [35:42]
A
You were. You seemed stressed after the game. Not even stressed, but just like, oh, wow.
- [35:48]
B
Yeah, because it was like an accumulation of. I did the first year I didn't play a game. I was. I was. I was inactive every game because we had Jacoby. Yeah, we had. Philip was a starter, Jacoby was a backup, and it was covet. So I was like, half the games I was in the press box because I couldn't be on the sideline because.
- [36:04]
A
Oh, yeah, because of COVID and everything.
- [36:06]
B
So I. I had. I had mastered the offense and I, you know, known the team very well, and I had learned a lot, but I never, like, Even preseason, I never got, like, the reps I had accumulated were only in practice. So my rookie year, like, I learned a lot.
- [36:22]
A
So different from, like.
- [36:23]
B
Exactly. So I took all that, and then I attacked the training camp the next year, and at that Time Philip had retired, and it was Carson Wentz and me and Sam Ellinger. So I had a. I had three halves of preseason football under my belt. We played week one against Seattle. We lost that game. Week two was the Rams the one you're addressing right now. And so I was a backup for the first two weeks. Carson had sprained an ankle against Seattle, and then the against the Rams, like late in the game, he sprains his other ankle and he goes down. I think we're down 14 at the time with like two minutes on the clock, you know, so it was my first crack at a regular season game. Was like in the most unconventional, but that's the life of the backup quarterback, you know, so it's hard to like, not convenient. No, it's not convenient at all. And. And you know, in the NFL, it's like all about performance. So it's like no matter what, you're expected to perform. Exactly. And that's where it gets like, very challenging to just go in and plug and play, because I had done the whole pre game warm up, you know, and then at halftime, I'm doing the high knees and I'm throw on the sideline. But at the same time, like, the guys that I'm going to the game with have been playing for three, almost four full quarters, like, in the game. Like, not that I wasn't in the game on the sideline, but it's like, all right, I got to go in right now. And it's not like, hey, let's just get an easy completion here to get his confidence up. No, we're taking shots because we need chunks to get down the field and score because we're down 14, which is.
- [37:42]
A
I mean, a shot. You're like, I not only have to go into this game in a very, like, stressful time in the football game, but, like, I got to fucking win this.
- [37:53]
B
Right?
- [37:53]
A
And they're not going to be. It's not like, oh, there's like five minutes on the clock. Like, how many?
- [37:57]
B
Like, I think There was like 2 minutes, 20 seconds and 14, you know, so we need to get down the field, we need to score, we need to kick it onside kick, and we need to score again. And that's.
- [38:08]
A
You're like, I. This is my first NFL game.
- [38:11]
B
I went in confident, you know, and I was like, all right, let's go. Let it rip. Let's go. You know, obviously I. I ended up throwing a pick to a corner. I don't know if you ever heard of Jalen Ramsey. He's a pretty good player.
- [38:20]
A
Yeah.
- [38:21]
B
And, and that was like, you know, I threw the pick and then, you know, the next. We did a couple of trick plays. But like, that experience was like, it was cool, but at the same time, it's like, I'm not like that. That is hard to go in and plug and play. Now there are guys who have done it and, and succeeded in it. But like, as a quarterback, like, you very much want the entire game plan open. You want to have a little bit of a leash because, like, nobody's going to be perfect. I know there's a lot of guys that are really good at what they do, but at the end of the.
- [38:51]
A
Day, like, there's no perfect quarterback.
- [38:53]
B
No going in with your play card like this and then, you know, in the situation where you're down 14 and you practice in practice and you, and you do it. But for me, that, like, having that as my first experience was, was very stressful. But at the end, like, I'm glad it happened.
- [39:06]
A
The quarterback has to be the most stressful position.
- [39:08]
B
I would say so now, like, there are, I'm sure other, other positions could, could contest the different reasons why there's maybe, but I just, you know, from a cognitive level to touching the ball every play to, you know, mastering protections.
- [39:21]
A
Coverage, you also have somebody in your ear.
- [39:23]
B
Correct.
- [39:24]
A
So I feel like I have to ask a few quarterback questions because, like, Isaac, if he misses a tackle, it's like, oh, like, I missed that tackle. I have to get it next time. But like, as a quarterback, if you miss, like, if you throw an interception, oh, like everybody knows that you threw an interception. Whereas Isaac could, like, kind of play under the radar. So for a quarterback, you said you have the play calls. Where are the play calls at? Are they on your wrist?
- [39:44]
B
Yeah. So some teams do wristbands, some teams don't. So Philip was never a wristband guy. He would just, he was memorizing years in. So, yeah, he would obviously memorize the game plan and the calls and we'd practice him all week, but he would just be like, all right, give me one. Give me the call in my ear. I would see it in my ear, Boom, done, call it, spit it off in the huddle. Now, Jacoby was a wristband guy, Carson was a wristband guy. So I was a wristband guy too. Obviously. I was a second year guy as well. Like, I just felt better. I knew the game plan, but I felt better about going to the game. Hey, what if the, the comms get messed up? Like, yeah, Just give me a number, I can read it. But then there are certain situations, two minute drills where you're signaling or they're just giving you one play words or you know, like one word plays.
- [40:25]
A
All the things on that are happening on the sideline. Like a head coach touching his head or something that's calling to you a certain play.
- [40:31]
B
Yeah, depending on.
- [40:32]
A
Yeah, I know nothing about head coach.
- [40:34]
B
Or offense or coordinator. Like whoever, whoever is the play caller is going to be in the quarterbacks here giving him and so thoughts and plays.
- [40:43]
A
They're not talking while you're throwing the ball.
- [40:44]
B
No. So at 15 seconds on the shot clock is when communication cuts out.
- [40:50]
A
Okay. Clutch. Because like I can't imagine like throwing the ball and someone's like, hey, is that my beer?
- [40:54]
B
Like right.
- [40:55]
A
I know they, I know they don't have beer up there, but like if that accidentally happened. Okay, so that's like a lot of pressure. You so end up losing the game.
- [41:03]
B
We lose the game.
- [41:05]
A
Now you that year Sam Ellinger had been drafted. Correct. So was there a thought in your head like, oh, I just liked up my chances of playing next week or.
- [41:17]
B
Yeah, so that was my like, as, as, as a, like I mentioned before, it's all about performance.
- [41:23]
A
Yep.
- [41:24]
B
And so I was like, okay, I just got my chance. I had two minutes of play, maybe five passes. I threw a pick. Did not feel great about it. Like we lost the game. So I'm like, shoot. Like, is that, is that it? Like, is that my opportunity? Like I want, like I have so much more to prove. I wish like I want a clean shot at this. Like I want to go in and, and get, you know, a start. Like I want, I want to have four quarters of play to get in a groove to get, you know. Yeah, give me that early.
- [41:53]
A
Like start me at the beginning of a game so I can.
- [41:55]
B
Right. Let me get a couple handoffs, let me get the defense sucked up so I can take a shot. Like I want, you know, I want that. And so that's, you know, in the back of my mind I'm like, shoot, like, did I just kill my chances of doing that? And I don't, like I still to this day, I don't think I did in that sense instance. But then the next week is when I got released. So I full story here. It's like I, that happens. And I'm talking to my parents, I'm talking to my coaches and they're, they're very reassuring of like, hey, that's like, that's a very Tough situation to be thrown in for your first action. And in the back of my mind, I'm like, I understand that, but as a professional athlete and. And, you know, doing my thing, like, I'm. I mean, that. That is still a very real case that could be happening.
- [42:39]
A
Right?
- [42:40]
B
So, yeah, we go into the next week. We're preparing for the titans. You know, we're 02 at this point, and we're playing a division rival, so we need. We need this win bad. So I get called into the coach's office, and I'm like. Like, holy shoot. Like, this is like, Carson's still dinged up. Like, this is. This is. I'm gonna get called up, and this is gonna be my real chance at my first start, first career. Like, let's go. Like, I'm fired up at this point.
- [43:05]
A
Yeah.
- [43:06]
B
And then I go in there and.
- [43:08]
A
Can you hand over your iPad?
- [43:10]
B
Yeah. Hey, bring your charger. Bring your iPad.
- [43:14]
A
Yikes.
- [43:15]
B
Mr. Ballard wants to meet with you. I'm like, wait a second. This is not what I thought was gonna happen in my head. So now I'm like. I'm not spiraling, but I'm like, shoot. Like, okay, what are they gonna say? What's the word?
- [43:27]
A
Right?
- [43:29]
B
I go in there and.
- [43:31]
A
Which I have to say is that that's, like, pretty cutthroat. Like, play, what, maybe a handful of plays. Barely.
- [43:39]
B
Yeah.
- [43:40]
A
And released.
- [43:42]
B
Correct. And it was there.
- [43:44]
A
There are a lot. I feel like NFL teams vary in, like, how cutthroat they are.
- [43:48]
B
I agree. Yeah.
- [43:49]
A
There are some there. And politics play a huge part, which you would think that being drafted the year prior would play into your favor, especially because a fourth round draft pick, like, teams would say, politics wise, like, they want to see you, like, evolve. So. Interesting.
- [44:04]
B
Yeah, it was very interesting. It was. I went in there, and even, you know, I felt. I felt like they were still being loyal. It was, you know, to the. To the situation I just brought up. We were 0 and 2. We wanted to get a win against our division rival at Tennessee because we had hopes of, you know, playoff aspirations that year. Right. So they bring me in there, and actually, so it was me, Sam Ellinger, and then Brett Huntley. Brett Huntley was our third at the time. Or a fourth. Excuse me. He was a. Yeah. Four, six, seven year guy. Maybe played in Green Bay for a long time. Arizona. Had a lot of experience playing. So when I go in there and I sit down, meeting with head coach and GM at the time, it's like, hey, we're. We're. Going to release you and we're going to have you sit through waivers and we're going to sign you back to our P squad and then we'll elevate you as you go on. But we just feel for where you're at in your career. We want, if, if Carson can't go, we want to give start to Brett because he's has experience.
- [45:00]
A
Crazy because he wasn't the second string, he wasn't the third string.
- [45:03]
B
He was a good preseason and he's a great player. And I, and I, and I could understand where they're coming from as being Owen 2. And they're like, hey, we. You a cleaner opportunity to, you know, like, go out and start. Right? Like, but at the same time, I'm.
- [45:16]
A
Like, I was gonna say, hey, like.
- [45:17]
B
I've been here for a year and a half and like, I, I'm very confident in my abilities and like, I, I want to go. You know, like, that's in the back of my mind. Like, I give me this opportunity. Like, yeah, why am I here if that's not the case? You know? So I ended up getting released and. And they elevate Brett and so he.
- [45:35]
A
Was on practice squad.
- [45:36]
B
He was on P squad at the time.
- [45:38]
A
Okay.
- [45:38]
B
And Sam was our. Our inactive three. Got it. Also, like, as I'm speaking to these guys. Great, fantastic dudes.
- [45:48]
A
Absolutely. Like, no, absolutely, absolutely.
- [45:50]
B
And I also don't want this to come off as like a sob story for me. Like, no, this, like, as you mentioned, it's a very professional, business driven league. Like, it was just like, I'm just giving a little backstory to the people. I don't know. Like, it's. It was.
- [46:02]
A
I don't think people under, like here though. Like, the cutthroat parts, which you and I know, like, the NFL at the end of the day is a business. So it's understandably, like. And for whatever reason, they have to make decisions because they also have a job where they could also lose their job. So it's just like a. Never ending. I don't think. I don't think it's a sob story. The only sob story is my husband losing his job two weeks before I gave birth. That's the only time I will be like, what the actual.
- [46:27]
B
That's fair. That's fair. But yeah, at the end of the day, everybody's just trying to feed their families, you know. So.
- [46:32]
A
Okay, I talk a lot on this podcast about sports, but I also talk about being a mom, my pregnancy journey, postpartum and When I'm talking about pregnancy, I feel like I have to talk about my aura ring because I have never been on traditional birth control. I used my aura ring to track my cycles and I am such a big fan of the Oura Ring when it comes to keeping track of my fitness, maintaining goals, but also getting pregnant and not getting pregnant. Oura Ring is the revolutionary smart ring that delivers personalized health data, insights and daily guidance. I've been obsessed with tracking my sleep scores. The nights that are rough and I'm waking up a few times, I kind of neglect to look at my sleep score because I just don't want to be held accountable. But the nights that I'm like oh wow, I feel like I got a good night's sleep, I always run to my aura app to check on how my sleep was. Oura Ring also empowers women to better understand their bodies so that they can be their own health advocate. We all know people are like cycle syncing and going off their follicular and luteal fate like all the phases and it's so interesting to be able to compare my fitness and like my calories and my sleep with how my cycle is evolving. So the Oura Ring works with the Natural Cycles app and that's how I've tracked my cycles over the past few years. The benefits of Natural Cycles and Oura Ring 4 synced partnership you can take control of your fertility effortlessly. So the Oura Ring 4 provides a continuous precise data on sleep, temperature trends, vital stats and syncing daily with natural cycles for insightful fertility tracking. Definitely necessary because I'm not trying to have a baby anytime soon. So commit to your body, commit to yourself and commit to your health. Highly recommend the Oura Ring again. It is one of my favorite things and I will be bringing it with me into 2025 because I am not done and I'm excited to continue tracking my cycle and also to keep myself accountable to the goals that I have for this year. So be sure to visit oura ring.com Happy 2025 you guys. Did you get a Macy's gift card last week? Because I did and I will be running to Macy's because I have a few vac coming up. Spoiler alert. I'm actually headed to a private island so I'm heading over to Macy's. I have a few last minute things I need to grab the Prada perfume. My husband got me a little sample and I will be buying the full size immediately with this gift card that my sister got me another Thing I'm going to do while I'm there is I want to check out their swimsuits. They have a huge selection of swimsuits and Macy's really just has it all. So if you were lucky enough to get a Macy's gift card or maybe you didn't, you can still head into store. And they're currently buzzing with all the holiday spirit still. It's like a holiday hangover, but in a good way because they still have great deals happening online and in store for you to snag something that you may have left off your gift list. And the new year, take some time to get something for yourself that maybe you didn't get over the holidays. And Macy's probably has it because Macy's has something for everyone and anyone. So you can be like me and head into store at Macy's or you can shop online at Macy's dot com. That's M A C-Y-S dot com. Okay, so you get released and then how long after you getting released you got picked up off of practice?
- [50:14]
B
I got claimed off of waivers actually. So I don't even.
- [50:16]
A
Oh, okay.
- [50:17]
B
Even clear waivers.
- [50:19]
A
So wasn't it like 2 minutes left or something crazy?
- [50:22]
B
There's like 30 minutes left of the 24 hour period. So I was very like, I was. Okay. My plan was to go sign back with Indy on P squad in hopes of being elevated again later in the season.
- [50:32]
A
Right.
- [50:33]
B
Once Carson got healthy, Brett played yada yada. So that was my intention. I'm sitting there at home on a Wednesday because I got released on a Tuesday and this is during my waiver period. And there's.
- [50:47]
A
The waiver period is a 24 hour time from when you get released that you can sign back to the practice squad. So.
- [50:56]
B
Correct. Or get claimed by another team.
- [50:58]
A
Yes.
- [50:59]
B
So I am sitting at home talking to my agent. He's, he's, you know, talking to a bunch of different teams at the time. Nobody's really pulling trigger.
- [51:06]
A
Right.
- [51:07]
B
Which I'm like, okay, like I, I'm going to go back and, and continue to chop wood and get back up to the active roster in Indy. And it's fine because I know the offense and I have, I've, I've, you know, from what I was told by the coaches and the gm, like I have very, have a very good chance of doing that. Hours go by. Hours go by. Hours go by. It's getting close to 5:00, which is when the, the window ends. Talk to my agent. I'm like all Right. I'm gonna go back, sign, sign P squad. He's like, all right, you're good to go. Four. It's about 4:30 at this time. So I drive to the facility, get to the facility, and I'm literally like, pen in hand, like, going to sign the, the practice squad contract. And my, My phone starts buzzing. I'm like, oh, gosh, what's going on? I answer my phone, it's my agent. He's like, hey, Seattle is claiming you. Like, you're. You're gonna fly to Seattle tonight and, and go practice with the Seahawks.
- [51:58]
A
Did your heart drop into your ass? Were you like, what was like.
- [52:02]
B
I was just so shocked because I was. I literally had pen in hand. I'm like, I'm staying in any. It's fine. Like, I'll be able to get through this and, you know.
- [52:09]
A
Right.
- [52:09]
B
But at the same time, I was like, holy smokes. The Seattle Seahawks, my hometown team. I'm getting claimed, meaning you're on active guar weeks.
- [52:16]
A
Like, yeah.
- [52:18]
B
So it was a lot to process at the time. I think at that point I was more excited than anything.
- [52:23]
A
Right.
- [52:24]
B
Because I'm like, holy smokes. I'm going home. Like, I'm gonna be in front of my friends and family playing for the team that I grew up.
- [52:30]
A
Kind of like a. Oh, aha moment. Like, yeah, great.
- [52:33]
B
Yeah. And then at. From then I was like, hey, like, I talked to the guy I was. I was signed with. I'm like, I'm. I'm getting claimed. Like, I can't sign this. Like, I gotta go. So.
- [52:44]
A
Okay, I'll take the pen back.
- [52:46]
B
Yeah. So I give him the pen back and I, you know, I say, I say my goodbyes in the facility. And, and that night I'm on a. I'm on a plane from Indy to, To Seattle.
- [52:55]
A
Are you sitting on the plane? Like, what just happened?
- [52:57]
B
Yeah, I packed. I packed as much as I could. Unfortunately, it was laundry day, so I packed as much as I could from the house and what I thought I would be needing to. To go to Seattle. And I got to the hotel about like 1:00am and, and 9:00am the next day. We were out on the practice field in the blue and green, it was.
- [53:15]
A
And you have to learn a whole new offense. You're in a locker room that you might not be familiar with a ton of players. It's like a whole new environment.
- [53:23]
B
Absolutely. So it's very stressful, but at the same time, it was a fresh start.
- [53:27]
A
Yeah.
- [53:28]
B
In a team that I was stoked to Be on. Not that I was not stoked to be on Indy, but like it was a Seattle Seahawks. I mean, it's hometown team, like Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, DK Tyler, all the boys. Like, yeah. And I would say the most stressful part is that I was claimed and I was the backup that week, three days later against the Saints, I think.
- [53:47]
A
And you have to know the entire like, playbook.
- [53:50]
B
So at that point, like it, you know, some guys have done it. Like Baker when he went to LA for the week and he. And he balled out. Yeah. You know, but even then I'm sure his playbook was dumbed down a little bit and him and McVeigh went through calls. But. So I was the backup and I had a separate wristband aside from genomes, because at this time Russell had done his finger. So Russell was out for four weeks with. I can't remember if he broke something and it was in his throwing hand. So he had. He had a. He had a deal going on where Seattle needed a guy. So they claimed me and brought me in to backup for Geno. And this is where Gino started taking off. Yeah. But yeah, I had to basically learn as much as the offense I could in a week. But also like, all right, here's the, you know, 80 plays that I can know. I can master that in the event that, you know, gets hurt, I can go in and let's call these plays. Gino ended up playing really well and, and fantastic and. And I never ended up getting in that year. But like, in the event that he had gotten hurt, like, I would have been.
- [54:48]
A
You're ready.
- [54:49]
B
3, 3, 4. As ready as I could have possibly been.
- [54:51]
A
Right.
- [54:51]
B
Right in four days. So that was. That was the most stressful element of it. But I was so. It was an incredible, incredible team. Like playing for Pete Carroll is one of my all time favorite coaches. I know I've said that a couple times about Kirby and Chris Peterson, but Pete Carroll is an all time guy and John Schneider the GM there, all time. That locker room was incredible. I met one of my other best friends in the league there. Two of them, actually. John Ratigan and Tanner Muse. Shout out to those guys. Incredible people. Had a blast that year. Learned a lot. Learned a lot on the fly. Just really just spent a lot of time in that quarterback room just trying to figure out, you know, all right here, here's the deal. Like my first four weeks, I'm like, all right, if I go in, these are the plays I master. But by the end of the year, I Felt really good about the offense right at the time. Dave Canales was our quarterback coach who is now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
- [55:43]
A
So crazy.
- [55:45]
B
Yeah. Another one of my all time favorites.
- [55:48]
A
Jacob has a lot of favorites.
- [55:49]
B
I do. He's, he's an incredible coach.
- [55:51]
A
Yeah.
- [55:51]
B
He's an incredible man, leader, father, all of it. So. And that's the other cool thing about the NFL. It's like you get, you know, whether you play or not, P squad, backup starter, like you are surrounded by incredibly talented, gifted and hard working people that, and you make those connections for life. So.
- [56:09]
A
Totally. And it's, it is so crazy that like people think that people who are players that get bounced around from team to team, like, aren't good, but I think it's like almost the opposite, is that like those players can be like versatile and those players are wanted. And I think I hate that narrative that like, oh, if you, if you're not on a team, the same team for all eight years of your career, it's like, oh, you're shit.
- [56:33]
B
Right.
- [56:33]
A
But I also think that there's like a lot of misconceptions when it comes to the NFL. And even when you got picked up off of waivers, it's so crazy seeing. Because I had never seen that before. You got picked up and you were literally on a flight.
- [56:47]
B
Yeah, that night it was, it was crazy because I, like, I had just rented a house in Indy. It was a beautiful house.
- [56:53]
A
Yeah.
- [56:53]
B
I had moved, you know, I bought furniture and moved in. You know, I was ready to stay home for four years. Yeah. You know, and that's just, it is the case for some people, but for the majority it's just unfortunately not the case. And, and I had to learn that and, and adapt and just quickly just surround myself and, and hone in. All right. How can I make the most out of this new opportunity? And.
- [57:15]
A
Right.
- [57:15]
B
And that's, that's what I did. And.
- [57:17]
A
And so you stay with Seattle for the next year. So kind of talk about your career after the, like getting picked up from Seattle. You stayed in Seattle for how long?
- [57:28]
B
So I stayed in Seattle from week four of 2022.
- [57:34]
A
Your memory is insane. Like knowing that it was week four.
- [57:37]
B
Yeah. Because it was, I think it was New Orleans or Jacksonville on the team we played at home.
- [57:41]
A
That's crazy. And that's like a quarterback brain right there. Like you, you have a good memory.
- [57:47]
B
Well, it's because like I spent literally 72 hours straight in that quarterback room trying to master a game plan in case, you know, Got hurt. So I was not going to go in and do what I did against the Rams when my opportunity came again, that was another thing I always would never forget. So I was in Seattle for the rest of that year. Russell ended up coming back four weeks after I got claimed. So I was. I was still inactive all the way through the rest of that year. I was just the third string. Now that Russell was back. Then I came back, did OTAs, did training camp, but during the off season, that year was when Russell got traded to Denver for Drew Locke and a couple other guys. Noah Fant, I think, a D lineman and a couple other guys. So that year was interesting as well. That's now 20.
- [58:37]
A
20.
- [58:39]
B
22. Yeah. So the beginning of 22.
- [58:42]
A
Russell leaves.
- [58:43]
B
Russell leaves. Okay, we now have Drew Locke and Geno Smith and I in the quarterback room in Seattle. And going through OTAs, I got very limited reps, understandably so. Like, again, like I say, understandably so. Like, I wasn't happy about it, but at the same time, like, I could see why. Gino just had a great year. They wanted to see, like, all right, is Gino gonna be our starter? Is Drew gonna be our starter? I'm like, well, hey, hey, I'm here.
- [59:08]
A
Like, yeah, can I.
- [59:09]
B
Can I be. Can I throw my name in the hat? Like, you know, and. And it just never. It didn't pan out that way. I remember meeting with Pete Carroll and being sat down and him telling me, it's really hard to assess three quarterbacks at the same time. It's just like, from the rep count in practice to, you know, the ones, the twos, the threes. It's. It is. And I understand that.
- [59:27]
A
Yeah.
- [59:28]
B
As a competitor, that really hurt. I'm like, hey, like, I. Again, it's.
- [59:32]
A
To not even have your name in there.
- [59:33]
B
Why did I. I understand I got brought in in a pinch because Russell was hurt and you guys needed a backup. But, like, what did I do to not be considered as a. As a. You know, as a right.
- [59:45]
A
At that caliber?
- [59:46]
B
Right? So I remember him telling me that, and it still didn't change my mindset. Like, I'm like, look, it's a football. Football's a contact sport. Anything can happen. You know, some guy can go down in preseason. I could be right back up. So I. I still attacked it with very, very limited reps. But.
- [60:01]
A
But you can only do the best with what you're given.
- [60:04]
B
Correct? So I do that, and I. And we go into the preseason. I didn't end up playing the first preseason Game. They both played a half, and then I just. There's so many wild stories. Like, we go into week two of the preseason. We're playing Chicago at this point, I'm maybe getting three, four reps of practice in 11 on 11 settings. So it's very limited. Yeah, I know the offense. I've been there a year and a half. I'm. I'm very experienced. I'm very confident. But I'm having to stay after practice and throw with guys, you know, in the event that I get tossed in the preseason, because, like, I need. I need these reps. Like, I need to know my receivers. I need to know, like, even getting snaps from the centers, it's like, I need to do all these things because, like, I know my opportunity is going to come. I just don't know when.
- [60:44]
A
It's crazy to hear that, like, even limited snaps, but, like, there was still a chance you could get thrown into the game. Like, I've just never thought about. I guess I don't think about offense very often.
- [60:53]
B
Right, right. No, that's understandable. So we go and we're playing Chicago on a Thursday night, Week two of. Of the preseason in Seattle. And so we practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. This is coming off of the Pittsburgh game, where I didn't play at all, where Gino played the whole first half, Drew played the whole second half. They both played well. Like, about the same. But they're trying to, like, Pete's trying to assess. All right, who are we going to start here? And I'm still like, hey, like, I. Like, at least let me get some reps so I can, like, have a resume for some other teams, you know, like. Or, like, obviously I want to stay here as long as I can and continue to grow and develop, but. But it's Wednesday. Another. Another second crazy story of the pod. Like, Wednesday night or. I don't remember. It was Wednesday night or Wednesday afternoon. Drew had practice on Wednesday, but Wednesday night, he tests positive for Covid. So all through the week, Gino and Drew are getting all the reps. In practice, I'm still getting my two or three and throwing after. Gino's not going Thursday, he's got Covid.
- [61:50]
A
So I'm like, oh, like, this is an opportunity.
- [61:53]
B
This is my opportunity. Right?
- [61:54]
A
Yeah.
- [61:55]
B
So I'm fired up, but at the same time, I'm like, damn, I would really have loved to get, you know, maybe 10 to 15 reps versus my three to five.
- [62:02]
A
Yeah.
- [62:02]
B
In practice. Right. I know the game plan. I'm fine with that. I'M dialed in with the call.
- [62:07]
A
Yeah. I mean, throwing a ball is a lot different than, like, knowing, right?
- [62:10]
B
Exactly. But, like, I just like the timing with my receivers. All that. Like, I hadn't had a ton of that other than, like, on air after practice. So I go in, and we're. We're playing Chicago, and I get the whole second half and crazy off of, like, limited reps. And. And I remember that game very, very. I played. I thought I played really well. There was a couple of throws that I missed.
- [62:30]
A
Right.
- [62:31]
B
But again, like, I don't.
- [62:32]
A
Based off of, like, the reps. You were given the opportunity.
- [62:36]
B
Yeah. But I still. I still feel like to this day that I took advantage of. Of that opportunity as best as I possibly could. And I was. And I was. I was happy with it. We lost the game, but I was happy with the outcome of the game. And I. And I. And I made some great throws and. And I had. That was, like, one. Other than preseason in Indy, we played Carolina, Minnesota, and Detroit, and I played decently well. That Chicago game was one of the funnest games I've ever played in. It was a Thursday night. Like, I'm like, I remember just.
- [63:04]
A
I remember watching it from Cleveland.
- [63:05]
B
Yeah. Like, the. You know, going up into the game, I'm like, shoot, dude. Like, I don't. I didn't have a lot of reps, but, like, it. Like, let's go. Like, let's go out there and, you know, do my thing. And. And, yeah, you know, I threw the ball to my guy Fuller a lot, and. And Kevin Cassis, another great dude.
- [63:21]
A
And.
- [63:21]
B
And, you know, we were. We were. We were. We got some. Put some drives together there in the second half and played pretty well. So that was like, my. My claim to fame in Seattle was that game. And then, like, so I got a little buzz in my pepper. My step going into week three, Drew comes back, and week three, we're playing Dallas in the preseason. And. And so I'm like, all right, well, how's this going to work out? Drew missed the second game, so who's. Who's. What are the refs going to look like, you know, as we're playing at Dallas, week three, I'm like, so. I don't really know. I don't really get told either. I just go attack my week.
- [63:56]
A
Like, isn't that kind of crazy? Yeah, like, not knowing.
- [63:59]
B
Right. And that's. That's kind of the. Like, the theme of my NFL career was not really knowing.
- [64:04]
A
Yeah. And you're just kidding.
- [64:06]
B
Not really. Knowing when my number was gonna be called, which is probably fair to say for most backups. Right. But no. So I go into Pittsburgh or, excuse me, Dallas, and, you know, same same thing, limited reps of practice go out there. My opportunity in Dallas comes in another two minute situation. Tie ball game, or we were down three maybe at the time. And I got, I think I got two drives. We had, I think we got a first down. And then the next, the next drive, we're down three. Got to go score. Get in field goal range and snap. Just unfortunately goes about 4ft over my head. Oh, try to tip it. And it goes right to the Mike linebacker. Game over. So I'm like, oh, my God. That was, that's on my resume forever. But, you know, it's just another one of those situations where it was just very fluky. Like, I, I had prepared, I had done what I could to put myself in the best possible position and the ball just bounced the wrong way. Yeah. You know, so that was my, that was my extent of my, my Seattle career. Because the next week was cut day. And third, Third, crazy story of the.
- [65:10]
A
Pond your career is, it's wild.
- [65:14]
B
So there's a lot, if you're, if you're following along still, if I haven't bored you to death, there's a lot of, like, moving parts. So I go, I go into the, the famous cut day, which is everybody's favorite day of the year in the NFL.
- [65:28]
A
Love that day. It's my, actually my favorite day.
- [65:32]
B
Correct. So I know I'm getting released. Like, I'm obviously okay.
- [65:34]
A
You're confident in that?
- [65:35]
B
Yeah. But I'm also confident the fact that I'm gonna get brought back based on all the conversations I've had, like, you know, and everything I accomplished in the year before and in the preseason. So I go in there and I get release and I'm in there. You know, I've been, I'm told, like, hey, don't, don't go anywhere. We're gonna keep you back. We're gonna bring you back and you got a spot on P squad. So I'm fine. Like, this is like, okay. Like, yeah, I got cut. That sucks. Like, I, I, I still think, like, this is the best possible place for me to be, to learn and grow and continue my career again. Comes down to the wire, right? Like 24 hours, 24 hours. Like 22 and a half hours go by. At this point, we've, we've told several teams no, because we're staying in Seattle. We got a spot here about 22 hours go by, and Seattle signed somebody, their practice squad. So I'm like, hey, a quarterback? What's going on here? You know, I get a call from the gm, I talk to blah, blah, blah, hey, like, we didn't see this happening. Like, you know, like, we're super sorry. Like, there's gonna be another opportunity out there for CSM where you did so much good things for us. Blah, blah. We love you. I'm like, why Night. And I did. I was really hurt by that because I did love Seattle and I love playing for that staff, and I felt like they were being genuine with me. And I still do.
- [66:53]
A
Yeah.
- [66:53]
B
And things happen. And, like, I've. I've learned to accept that totally. So there's never been any bad blood with. With any coaching staff or. Or. Or any of that. But at that moment, I was very, like, shocked. Scramble mode hurt. Like, this is another one of those instances where I'm like, what in the hell is going on?
- [67:12]
A
So they were just like, psych, we don't actually want you back.
- [67:14]
B
Yeah, we're full scramble mode. They sign a guy and then called me. So I'm like, we're full scramble mode. Like, I'm calling my agent. Hey, we gotta backtrack. Like, who do we say no to? By the. No, it's 23 hours in. Like, guys are signed. Yeah, like, guys. Guys are in place. Guys are on flights. Guys are going to their new spots. I'm like, holy shit. Like, what.
- [67:34]
A
What just happened?
- [67:35]
B
What just happened? So we're backtracking. We're calling every team that we had said no to, and we ended up. We ended up calling and getting a hold of Carolina, who.
- [67:46]
A
I forgot you played for Carolina.
- [67:48]
B
Yeah. So they have five guys in the room. By the way, it's Sam Darnold, It's Baker Mayfield, P.J. walker, and it's Matt 5. I was the fifth, so quarterback, four. Yeah.
- [67:59]
A
But most teams have three, which was.
- [68:02]
B
This is like, an anomaly, like. Right, exactly. So Matt Corral had broken his leg in the preseason, week three, and Sam Donald got a high ankle sprain in the preseason. So they were really. They had PJ and Baker. Sam was an IR and Matt was on ir. So that was really the only reason, like, there was even space for me there.
- [68:20]
A
Right.
- [68:21]
B
So I fly there that night on our, you know, whatever. 23 of 24. I'm, like, talking to my two of my best friends in Seattle, like, dude, like, I gotta go, like, tonight. Like, love you. Bye. Like, this is like, see ya. Yeah. Insane, you know, And I had established such a good relationship with those guys and that team, and I was that one really hurt, you know, but again, it's business. Like, it's like the NFL. Like we say, it's cutthroat. And, and all these experiences, kind of like as much of a dagger as they were at the time, have really, like, kind of molded me and my personality now. Like, there's not a lot that phases me these days because I feel like I've kind of been put through the wringer. So, yeah, I get on a flight that night, red eye to Charlotte. We're suited up in Carolina blue the next day, and I'm on the P squad with, with those guys and, you know, and another great year. Like, just an awesome room. I have so much respect and love for Baker and Sam, and PJ Walker is another prime example of a backup who's just, like, gone through the ups and downs. The cfl, everything. Play, didn't play, you know, got some starts. Like, he's an incredible dude, too, so. Got immersed in that room and, and yeah, it's just, it's just been like the whole first three years were in a complete whirlwind and. Yeah. So I don't know if you have any more questions.
- [69:41]
A
No, I was gonna say, but no, no, you're good because it's, it's interesting following along your career. So then after Seattle, you went to the Panthers. After the Panthers, you went to the 49ers, and then after the 49ers, you went to the Giants.
- [69:56]
B
Correct. I had a brief stint after the Niners, I went back back to OTAs and training camp with the Panthers.
- [70:01]
A
Okay.
- [70:02]
B
And then a lot. And then home and then Giants again and then Green Bay for camp, it was just all.
- [70:09]
A
Yeah, okay, so when, when was the last time you were on a team?
- [70:15]
B
On a team was in August of this year with Green Bay.
- [70:18]
A
Okay.
- [70:19]
B
In camp. So, so technically, like a camp roster.
- [70:22]
A
Yeah.
- [70:22]
B
Yeah.
- [70:22]
A
But so now, how, how do you feel about, like, football? Like, like, where are you at now?
- [70:27]
B
I still love it. Like, it's always, it's always going to be a part of me. You know, I've done it my whole life up until I'm 27 now, so really, 26 years of my life, or I guess you can't count. You can one or two. I, I, since I was four or five, you know, so it's always going to be a part of me. It's, it's taught me so much about competition, you know, love, you know, Hard work, dedication. Like, because it takes a lot to get to the. The. To the level that.
- [70:54]
A
Yeah.
- [70:54]
B
You know, I mean, it's very.
- [70:57]
A
It's very rare to make it to.
- [70:58]
B
The NFL right now. I'm not like, I. There was. I. I do feel like there's a lot that I. More that I wanted to get done, but at the same time, it's like, I understand the rigors and the. I always think about this too. Like, no matter how good you are or the position you're in and like, how much you fully do prepare, there's a lot of luck that is involved in.
- [71:19]
A
Absolutely.
- [71:20]
B
Like, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way.
- [71:22]
A
Like, I feel like there is a lot of luck.
- [71:25]
B
I feel like, you know, like, there are. There are the instances that I did play. Like, my preparation was there. I was supremely confident in that. But, yeah, you know, one or two bad throws doesn't look great on tape. And, you know, the ball didn't bounce my way there. But then they're, you know, on the flip side, there's guys that get put in certain situations, like, and the ball does not bounce their way and. And you know, more power to them and they have a, you know, longevity wise, bigger career. But.
- [71:48]
A
But is there, like, a part of you. And I know it's not like, woe is me and not like, like, want pity, but is there a little part of you that's like, frustrated because, you know, the player you are and you think that there have been opportunities where the ball just hasn't bounced your way?
- [72:04]
B
I, you know, there. There were definitely moments of frustration.
- [72:07]
A
Yeah.
- [72:07]
B
But, you know, I just. Football has given me so much, and it's also given me so much. Like, like, my mental health has just, like, I never was like, a big, like, on them. I grew up in like, a very, like, my dad's old school. Right. Yeah. Like, if you're hurt, don't show it. Right. Rub some dirt on it, strap it up and go. Like, so I was always that way. And even on, like, the mental side of things, when I got cut and released, like, I was like, I'm good. I'm gonna go figure it out. Like, I'm gonna go attack this next opportunity. But looking back now, and even like towards the back half of my career, I was like, this is kind of taking a toll on me. Like, I've moved around so much. Like, and it's a lot. And the opportunities that I was given or in and played in, like, it was stressful because I was four years Five teams, five playbooks, six head coaches. Like, it was. There was a lot to.
- [73:02]
A
Just so many apartments and moving.
- [73:04]
B
Correct. All of that and all the back half. Half of it. So, like, looking back now, like, no, I don't. I don't. I'm not, like, angry or mad because, again, like, all of these instances have kind of shaped and molded my mindset towards my next. My next thing. So it's like I. I'm very thankful is the word. Like, I'm as much of a show as it was at points. There was so much good in. In. In all of it. Like, the relationships, the players, the coaches, like, even, like, down to the player engagement stats.
- [73:36]
A
Right.
- [73:37]
B
Staffs. Like, I. I have so many resources and contacts that I can use and. And chat with for. For whatever comes next. So, you know, you're grateful. You're grateful for the NFL, grateful for you guys. Like, there's so much that you wouldn't. Would have not had had I not.
- [73:52]
A
Experienced the career that you had. Correct. Are you happy? Are you looking, like, what are you looking forward to? I mean, you're about to graduate, so, like, what's next?
- [74:04]
B
Yeah.
- [74:05]
A
Are you still playing football or.
- [74:06]
B
I've definitely put it on the back burner because, like. Like in the. In the back half of. In the last year. So I've been doing school for the last year because I've been in and out. Like. Yeah, I started doing school when I was on a break between Carolina and New York.
- [74:20]
A
Between teams. Yeah.
- [74:21]
B
Because I'm like, well, I'm about on the couch for eight weeks. Like, let's. Let's start cracking at this. At this, you know, education and get like, yeah, let's, like, get this done so that by the time I'm done officially playing, I can get a job. And, you know, sure enough, I sign up for two classes, and then two weeks later I'm on a flight to New York.
- [74:39]
A
Funny the way football works, though.
- [74:40]
B
Yeah.
- [74:40]
A
And as a quarterback, I do feel like you could not play for months and get a call.
- [74:45]
B
Correct.
- [74:46]
A
Because quarterbacks are a very specialty position.
- [74:48]
B
It is now the phones have been quiet, but I'm not. I'm not upset about it because I've actually been taking, you know, like. Like we mentioned, I've. I've actually been more cognizant of my mental health in these last.
- [74:59]
A
Yep.
- [75:00]
B
Few months outside of it, just taking a deep breath, looking back on it all, taking everything, you know, learning from it, and it's like, hey, now I have an opportunity to take advantage of those Resources, get my degree and really propel what comes forward.
- [75:15]
A
Yeah.
- [75:15]
B
So, like, I've done a lot of soul searching because it is, it is a hard, weird transition where you're like, okay, I've done this my whole life. I know this got to the professional level. It's like, how can I take what I learned there and apply it to something else and succeed in that? And I, And I'm very excited and eager to get that going once I finish school.
- [75:33]
A
So, you know, it's exciting. I mean, you're. You're in your 20s. Like, it's crazy, but I feel like the NFL makes you feel like the, like the time has gone by and like you're old, but like everybody's figuring it out in their 20s. So it is crazy. You have a lot ahead of you and I'm excited for you.
- [75:51]
B
Well, thanks, Ali.
- [75:53]
A
I have some quick quarterback knowledge. So I need you to explain the following types of quarterbacks. And you can just give like a short stint. Doesn't need to be long.
- [76:00]
B
Fire away.
- [76:01]
A
Game manager quarterback.
- [76:03]
B
Game manager, quarterback. Right now I'm thinking Patrick Mahomes, a guy who, whatever the situation is, they're. They know exactly what to do, where to go with the ball, how to manage the clock, how to manage. All right, we need a field goal here. Chunk. Play whatever it is. Like, they're a master at that. That's why the Chiefs are winning all these close games. Because Patrick Mahomes and crazy are crazy game manager quarterbacks. Obviously he's an, He's a rock star, but yeah, that's a mad. That's where my heart or my mind goes to.
- [76:29]
A
Okay. Guns. Gunslinger.
- [76:31]
B
Gunslinger. Josh Allen, the dude who's Brett Favre, the guy who's extremely exciting, big arm like, is gonna probably force a couple throws in there, but that 80% of the time they're gonna work 20 of the time it's gonna be like, what are you doing? But the guy isn't a gunslinger. Aaron Rodgers in his prime.
- [76:47]
A
Okay.
- [76:48]
B
Just the most exciting guys to watch, in my opinion.
- [76:51]
A
Interesting. Polished pocket passer.
- [76:53]
B
Polished pocket passer. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, the old statuesque guys who have done it for Philip Rivers, they're not going to run around a lot. Yeah, they're going to take what the defense gives them.
- [77:06]
A
They're calculated.
- [77:06]
B
They're calculated. They see drop eight, they're gonna hit the check down. They take a one on one opportunity. Boom. They're taking it like they know where they're going before the ball is snapped. And they're just super proficient at it. Dual threat, Lamar Jackson.
- [77:19]
A
I was immediately thinking about that. Yeah.
- [77:21]
B
Yeah. Like, even Josh Allen. Josh Allen's like the best of both worlds. Gunslinger slash dual threat. He's an actual freak and it's so fun to watch. Yeah, those guys tend to be like, kind of like the gunslinger category where they're, they're a threat in the air and on the ground.
- [77:38]
A
Okay. All rounder, all arounder, all around her.
- [77:41]
B
Josh Allen. Again, like it's, it's like, I think dual threat and all around are kind of the same.
- [77:47]
A
Yeah, kind of the same.
- [77:48]
B
I guess you could even go as far as to say, like, I feel like you could line up Josh Allen at tight end and he'd, he'd succeed.
- [77:54]
A
Okay. And then last but not least, we have some rapid fire questions. These are fun. College football or NFL.
- [78:03]
B
College football.
- [78:04]
A
Vintage jerseys are modern.
- [78:06]
B
Vintage.
- [78:07]
A
Rom com or reality?
- [78:08]
B
Rom com?
- [78:09]
A
Post game, Fancy dinner or late night drive through?
- [78:13]
B
Late night drive through?
- [78:15]
A
Cold plunge or hot tub for recovery?
- [78:18]
B
Cold plunge. I've been big on those lately.
- [78:21]
A
Pregame ritual or post game celebration?
- [78:23]
B
Post game. Sally.
- [78:25]
A
Kelsey brothers or Manning brothers?
- [78:27]
B
Oh, man, I, I grew up. I love the Kelsey brothers, but I grew up a Manning guy, so I gotta go with Peyton and Eli.
- [78:35]
A
Perfect. I'll take it. Well, thank you so much for coming on. Where can the people find you on social media?
- [78:40]
B
You can find me on Instagram. You can search for me on Tick Tock. I'm not, not as big as a gal over here, but Instagram, Tick Tock, Twitter, I haven't been on there in a while, but at Skinny QB 10.
- [78:52]
A
That'S me, Skinny QB. Thanks for coming on, Al.
- [78:55]
B
Thanks for having me. This was so fun.
- [78:58]
A
Take care, guys. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.