Justin Fields on Kick Return, Talking with the New Rookies and special Guest Jaylen Warren | Ep. 70

what's it like to be a Pittsburgh Steeler it's surreal I mean to be out be out here for the first time and uh kind of see what the city's all about and what the people are about man it's it's crazy especially you know growing up a fan so wait first of all we got to say hello and welcome to everybody to the draft special special episode of not just football here at Acer want to say thank you to the Steelers and uh thank you to Our Guest that are coming through thank you to Hayden for showing up um thank you all you whoa oh something in my ear you guys didn't hear that but um you know we're excited to be here it's going to be a great show great time um but what do you guys think about the draft so far what do you think about the draft so far offense man um a lot of offens of pieces right I like defense first of all so I'm a little bit biased um but uh first of all our first round pick I think he's going to be a monster I'm going beat up him a little bit but uh you know our second round pick is a monster our third round pick uh I'm not a big guy who likes to talk about Michigan people so go blue baby go Blue go blue thank you wow no no oh no o no there we go there we go out in the stance but uh no I'm excited about that and then our fourth round pick or our other third round pick um Payton Wilson everybody was saying he was the best linebacker in the draft so I'm excited about that as well so uh overall I think it's a good great draft um we got some more spots today that we'll talk about but uh looking forward to it how nervous were you announcing that pick oh how nervous was I I was um I did look good that was I did look good I made sure that was the only only thing I could do um but uh there was like 400 it felt like there was 400,000 people there um and it went all the way back you couldn't even see the end and every player uh that was in the back room we in the Green Room was all nervous cuz they were getting drafted um but we weren't nervous in that regard so we got to see these guys their dreams fulfilled um but to go out there it was it was special um and when I saw everybody I was like I'm not looking out in the crowd anymore I'm look at my card and I'm going to keep it moving so I don't mess this up but it was fun and um you know it got to make up for the time I got drafted cuz I didn't even go the draft I was like you know I don't want to be the Brady Quinn of it all I want to be the guy in The Green Room who doesn't get drafted that is struggling through the entire thing so uh I got to make up for that moment in my head and you know it was kind of fun I think that aspect is interesting though we got to see firsthand that these guys are still going to the first round but then you see man they're waiting and waiting and waiting and it's like man you feel so bad for but they're still going to be first round draft picks so it's it was hard to watch but it was also an exciting place to be yeah very cool um you know and you know just seeing these guys and their dreams really just prosper and show and fulfilled uh is special um you know it's not like anything else in our game it's the start of something special but it's not the end of it and so the you know as much as the families get excited as much as the players get excited it's like all right you check it off the box now you got to to work um and we'll we'll talk more about that later when we got our rookies up here uh which is going to be really fun you know these guys this is like their first opportunity to get to know some of the Steeler fans so make sure you're loud make sure you're proud um make sure you have a lot of fun with them ask a lot of questions um but uh looking forward to it oh thank you um I do want to ask do you think you pronounced his name correctly I hope so I was nervous when you got that one I we can ask him that because because I thought it did a good job I only saw it like twice before and I was like this is my one opportunity only opportunity to get this right if I don't get this right he is going to be mad at me the entire camp and he'll probably be mad at me the entire Camp because I'm doing other stuff and you know getting after him during practice but uh you know I'm I'm glad that we're off to a good start what was your experience like all day waiting around to get picked when you finally got picked in 2011 oh in 2011 when I got picked long time ago um we were spons by rebok at the time so the jerseys look completely different um but what I did to relieve stress I uh took a couple my buddies took my agent we went to a local um like Lifetime Fitness um or playing Fitness and we played basketball my agent was nervous the entire time because I took it way too seriously you know jumping trying to dunk on people not a good thing to try to do before you get drafted um but you know the process was unbelievable you know you watch your guys you train with all offseason getting ready for these moments get go off the board and all you're thinking about you know when's my name going to be called and so once guys got take it off you're like it's my name next um and you know it's it's a process you know you you start to do the numbers in your head you're like you know I even watched Connor do this because you know he's looking at guys he who he went against in the combine or you know train with he was like I'm better than that dude I should be drafted before him and so you just start to stack yourself up against that and so uh for me um I knew wherever I get drafted I got to do the work first and then get a chance to compete um and then let my work speak for itself itself uh and that's just been you know my my thinking through it all and I think for any draft pick you got to be able to do that too well say you almost got arrested cuz you almost fought somebody at that lifetime I didn't fight anybody yes you did you were trying to fight somebody took it too serious and that's the truth absolutely true um take us through what the what the next 24 to 48 hours were like after you got picked okay the one thing I noticed I was coming back from Detroit um Troy F fanu was coming in through a connecting flight in Detroit we were on the same flight he was in first class I was in first class now when I got drafted I was not in first class so things have changed for the better um and you watch these other guys they get on private jets that's not happening in Pittsburgh we don't do that here um but you know it's it's a whirlwind you know you're coming in meeting uh Co Tomlin Mr Rooney uh your position coaches uh the coordinators um you're stopping at per man's Brothers get a sandwich um you know s sandwich thank you for getting me right and getting my pittsburghese right um but um it's a whirlwind you know you're meeting the community relations person you're you know you're running around so you really don't get the chance to embrace the city but now um you go straight from that into rookie mini camp and so it's just a it's a process you get going and um you know it's like you see your family right when you get drafted and it's like you don't see them for a couple months so it's um it's something uh you look forward to and getting to work with but uh I don't think a rookie really gets his feet you know back on the ground um till the season because it's it's it's it's a monster okay well are you ready to bring out a guest well it's not about if I'm ready are you guys ready oh good question okay well with our first guest we would like to welcome the smallest guy on our team that's not a very nice description plays bigger than thater he he's our Mighty Mouse he's our Mighty Mouse but uh he does an amazing job uh our running back jayen Warren come on over we don't bite how y'all [Applause] [Laughter] doing second smallest oh wait who's the who's the first smallest Calvin yeah that's pretty obvious Calvin you think Calvin's smaller than you yeah he is I don't doesn't matter let's just put that out there doesn't matter okay this isn't a dating show you don't have to go into that relax all right how's the off season been so far it's been good you know um a lot of rest uh a lot of recovery it's been good it was uh long but fast very cool very cool um what's it like being with Naji you two two-headed monster what's it like you know uh you guys uh having a chance to take advantage of a defense besides ours um you know it helps us you know um going against y'all every day uh feeding off each other uh you know just making sure like I learn I learn from him every day and uh you know I want to speak for him but he's showing me a lot coming into the league and you know I appreciate him for that and I'm just going off you know based off what he's like taught me and I say he's done a good job at that I want to talk about you know the process um I I mentioned a little bit but from pro day to combine to not getting drafted becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler how was that like I mean it was a it was probably one of the most stressful times in my life but um you know I'm glad it happened the way it did uh going into the draft I you know I didn't plan on getting drafted all I knew or you know all I wanted was a shot and as long as I got a shot I knew I would take you know advantage of it mini camp rookie mini camp um that moment when you got to the Pittsburgh Steelers how was it when you first got in did you feel like you had something to prove did you do anything special like how did you go into that that moment thinking all right I got to take advantage of this opportunity just making my just making sure I you know made myself indispensable uh doing whatever it took to separate myself from others in the room you know you're if you're in the league everybody's good it's that extra what are you doing what are you willing to do extra that's going to separate yourself from the others what's your biggest difference from year one to two year one to two I say I got more comfortable with the game kind of start you know I started understanding it more I had more knowledge about it and I think with that I was able to play faster what are your thoughts about one of the free agents we got Patrick Queen um Baltimore Raven Boo come on guys got to do cu this kid saying Steeler suck at the draft you got to say Raven suck yeah Raven suck we know that right Raven suck okay but how did you feel about bringing a guy from the Dark Side over to the good side I thought it was cool uh at first you know I you know there's always tension side to that side but you know he was he's one of ours now you know he's part of the pittburg Steelers so it's you know it's time to you know bring him in and show him love did you get in to it all with him during the times you played him yeah yeah and during the game I don't really I don't I don't initiate the talking I just play but once they start doing when they start it then I kind of egg it on okay it's it's that time I I talk with my play I don't really oh so I'm saying not saying a lot but I don't really verbally talk what did he say to you there was one time there was one time I was like a lead blocker this was my rookie year I was a lead blocker and um I tried to like come back and like crack him but he had hit me and I flew and I thought he like really smacked me but on film somebody was behind me and I just fell over him well I was like you got that and he's like he was just saying yeah that's not going to work with me and then so from then on it was just like little chatter mhm you know type of game is going to be so is that about to take place during training camp 100% yeah if you're a competitor it just comes out you know right so each year you've doubled your yards so can we expect 1, 1400 yards next year with the new offensive line addition and that's all up to my offensive line man hey it's all up to them I dig it I dig it what opponent besides Patrick Queen gab you your you know welcome to the NFL moment like last last year or any or you know rookie year rookie year actually the first preseason game I caught like we were playing the Seahawks I don't know who it was but um I caught a a check down like a a check down over the ball I had broke a tackle and I was like running and then he smacked my shoulder on film I I still fall forward but I'm like dang what the heck just hit me and then I get up and it was a safe I don't know what his name was but I'm like that's how they're hitting in the league I knew I had to you know get used to that um I I hate to bring this up yeah this is subject yeah this is a very tou touchy subject um you were the second most fined player last year over 97,000 dollars I I I I agree with me too to hey I second that so we're going to start a GoFundMe account for jayen Warren to handle these fines right but take us back to what your thoughts and I know it's it's touchy but how are you handling you know with these fines and how it's how it's uh you know dictating how you play um so I think it was the the second fine was right before the Browns game because I remember the Browns game I had caught a pass and there was no blockers and it was just three guys and I kind of tried to like keep my head out of it and I didn't I felt like I didn't have power I went back to the sideline I was like toage did it look like I hit with my head and he was like don't even think about it like just play like let all that work out for itself and I was like okay yeah but so I try to not let it you know uh tweak my game that much but damn that's a lot of money so I'm want to like your whole game check yeah see they're lucky I love football because like I can I I'm willing to play football like without worrying about the money right you know I think they the call J I don't even think they call a penalty on that they did not they did not he was fine yeah they yeah they they didn't call a penalty on either of them but the second one got rescinded the first one took place I just got done paying that off came out of my check check but I I bring this up not to make fun of you because I think there's a lot of inconsistencies in our game and you know your young player he's trying to establish himself he's trying to get used to the city he's trying to get used to you know making money but he's an undrafted player and we find some of these players that shouldn't be fine like that there should be education behind it rather than finding a guy and then you know half your game checks gone um I just think it's it's a it's a load of crap and for you I know how good you are as a kid I know how much it means to you to do things right on and off the field I just think it's it's dumb and you know I look forward to finding ways for this dude to get money back in his pocket if you guys have any sponsorships find my guy we we got to continue to keep blowing let me know please let me why don't you help him out you've had you've signed a few contracts why don't he's on not just football this is my this is my PSA to get Jaylen Warren some money in his pocket and make sure he's not getting fin anymore so um you know Roger Goodell if you see this um make sure you take care of my guy he is doing an amazing job and he's helping out our podcast so make sure we don't get this guy fir anymore all right so we're talking about fines and potential fines Jaylen where do you stand on the new hip drop tackle Rule and the kickoff rules oh both those rules hip drop Let's Go hip drop because that's probably going to affect you the most hip drop um as a running back I love it cuz you know I don't like those kind of tackles that's crazy but from their point of view I don't uh I think it's another way of making the game allowing the game to be softer I don't know I feel like football's gotten softer in my personal opinion it's the right opinion I agree but they're protecting you guys yeah they're protecting us 100% but if I'm running and he's like got an awkward angle on me how else you know how is he supposed to tackle me or you're just going to stiff arm somebody into the ground and so you know I mean it's a plus for us 100% but when I'm not on the field and they're on the field and I'm watching the opponent run to a touchdown and they can't tackle him because they can't do that certain tackle it sucks for both parties so so you sa to you don't like the new hip chopp I I don't like it because I feel like how how am I supposed to get a guy down that is either running through me or running around me I got to do whatever I can to get on the ground I I understand like horse tackling yes um and I understand the swing of the leg where you know you look at the Leon Bell versus vontz berick where he dragged him out of bounds I get that but I I I worry that there's not enough information to make sure it's clear enough that anything could be a hip drop tackle and more times than not a ref's going to throw the flag um and it's going to give him a new set of downs it's going to extend the series and most of the time when it happens it ends in a in a touchdown so um it it's going to be tough for Defenders to get used to that well they can't officiate rough in the passer so what makes you think they're be able to officiate the hip drop right no comment you agree on that uh do you think the kickoff rules will make you want to maybe kick return this year at all um the fans no they don't trust your your kickoff return I guess not dang I want to win no don't go back there um I mean I would I think it's pretty cool um as soon as you touch the ball that's when everything you know starts to happen but our offens or our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there like hold up hold up who we breaking news already we looked at him like Justin fils about to be that back there and you know it's I don't know I think it's I think it's cool okay so you brought up Justin Fields um and we talked about new signings what's it like having Russ and Justin in the facility right now uh it's it's good you were about to break something right there no I just I wanted to think about my answer um I got it's a nine day difference I would say um with like their leadership they bring a lot you know they help out they tell us how to run the rout out and they they're really um on it when you don't run it the certain way they're big on details just you know kind of what we preach and you know it helps a lot have you seen anything different with Arthur Smith as a new OC yeah he's he's a I say his biggest uh difference is he's very interactive in the meetings like you can't you want to pay attention cuz he's going to call you out if U you know feel like you're not paying attention good it's happened a couple times so I think his um approach to being the OC is really good did that make you go watch a bunch of Tennessee Titans film after you he became on or even Falcons film after Arthur Smith became the OC yeah like yeah seen like how he runs the Run game especially after learning The Playbook yeah what's the difference in our offense philosopy Philosophy from last year to this year he wants speed off the ball you know break the Huddle he wants wants to um run to the ball instead of kind of like you know Lolly gagging and getting to it and he he wants like uh intensity so and I really like that I I love that actually there you go you know see the smile on his face I'm on that train with him so okay okay um before we bring out any of your new teammates um what were your thoughts about them um our drafts yes yeah Troy yes um you know they had his highlights up there after they drafted him and I'm sitting there with my boys it's like pck 19 they made a joke like hey who's a Trey Benson like they just drafted Trey Benson cuz I was B behind I'm like that's a running back they just drafted a running back they was messing around um but yeah when I saw we drafted him I was like Hey another Polynesian I I like it he plays aggressive and I like that aggressiveness that he brings and I'm excited to work with him that's cool um who was who's the fastest on the team now cuz I heard Justin's pretty fast you got Calvin Austin you got you Roman Wilson the new guy's pretty fast Roman Wilson who's the new fastest on the team oh man Justin fils is pretty fast yeah um fastest on the team it gotta be Justin or Calvin Justin Fields really Justin's fast is he yeah man well he's returning kicks it sounds like too so hey he's a Do-it all athlete two more questions before we bring the rookies out um expectations for next year Super Bowl there you go Super Bowl didn't even go personal he just went straight team I I love it I love it get the seventh one what about indiv idual expectations for yourself just be the best teammate I can be I don't really you know I don't want to set like a bar where I I'm aiming for a th000 yards I'd rather get 800 yards and help the team win than get a th000 have an average Year good answer I want a Super Bowl you know there we go you said Super Bowl real quick all right ad for these rookies going forward I'll say just you know don't give up and it's you know keep your family close you're going to have those days where it ain't going to go your way those bad practices don't let it discourage you um and just keep going um make sure you're well conditioned cuz they're going to test you and uh just listen and learn from the vet we got Zach and jayen right here how about that give a round of applause one more time for these guys Zach how you feeling feeling excited ready to get to work there you go we got any West West Virginia fans out [Applause] here I remember that you on that you beat us twice so Zach first question what does it mean to be a Pittsburgh Steeler it means a world to me I mean I grew up an hour and a half down the road I got my truck today drove up the road um came through the tunnel I mean it's special it's special that's awesome give it up for that I got something I want to ask cam yeah saw a highlight where you broke your leg on a play and crawled off the field so the team did not waste the time out uh that is psychotic please he threw that and what exactly was going on then yeah it was um a two-minute situation we were down at at the end of the game uh didn't have any timeouts it was uh the first first play of the drive uh there was a tunnel screen to the left I kind of released out the um D tackle kind of retraced um I grabbed the receiver and the D tackle was behind me I actually got hip dropped tackled right on the side of my leg oh there we go with the hip drop tackles know where he stands on know where he stands on yeah it doesn't feel good um yeah I didn't even have the ball but um I just knew I had to get off the field so I just kind of hopped off the field got insane Jaylen offensive advice for a new rookie um besides the rookie just uh you know you here because you nasty and you know you can play so just keep that up jaylen's like you better block for me you better I say I ain't going to say that I dig it I dig it so Zach um I know it's been a crazy couple hours did you expect to be a Pittsburgh Steeler I knew it was a possibility um you know when The Pick kept getting closer and closer um you know I was just hoping it came true and it did there you go who's reached out so far uh as far as players oh I think you're the first text I got yeah there we go that's why he asked that by the way no no I didn't ask from Ab why you asked it uh no my phone's gone crazy I think I have 600 text messages I haven't got wow yeah a lot yeah a lot of people are excited anybody is a Pittsburgh fan what's that are they all Pittsburgh fans most of them yeah yeah yeah all right um how do you feel about you know the West Virginia and you know the Pittsburgh rivalry right yeah do you think all Steeler fans are excited about that even though you're walking in the enemy territory yeah so it's funny everyone from West Virginia hates pit but they love the Steelers so weird it's so weird they they hate they hate pit but they love love the Steelers so along those lines are you ready to sing Country Roads one more time yeah you want to do it right now oh my gosh yeah let's go Zach come on go ahead Country Road take home to the place where I belong West Virginia M Mama Take Me Home Country Ro there we go so I look at your offensive line it's you Troy F Fontano um Isaac camalo uh James Daniels um brri Jones it's a bunch of nasty dudes um and you know I know coach Pat is going to go to work and you know he's going to challenge you guys have you thought about what it's going to look like with you guys yeah I just I can't get to can't wait to get to work with those guys um I feel like we have a young core group of guys and you know I'm excited to grow over the next couple years and really build that chemistry together yeah um I feel like offensive lineman that that are as playing offensive lineman it's important to have chemistry with the guys next to you know what each other uh are thinking and um yeah just really build that chemistry together real quick Zach and don't say one answer because jaylen's here run blocking or pass blocking what do you R blocking no doubt but if George was here nickens was here he'd be saying pass block still say R blocking keep that yeah okay you calm down over there you calm down I want I want to see the pass blocking too uh but what I actually I want to talk about in high school I keep seeing that you were a wrestling you know Monster 51 seconds was the average is that true no no just one tour one tournament I had uh that was my longest match that was your longest match yeah oh shoot yeah yeah quick thoughts for you how do you like it yeah I love it uh Mason and I actually trained together oh wow but yeah down in Dallas there you go yeah I'm excited he's a freak oh okay yeah he's he's athletic um I'm excited for him cool Jaylen any thoughts create some J can go I'm excited you know more dep more dep on the line okay well first of all I want to say thank you to you guys for coming out let's give a round of applause for you guys survived the first day yet what's it like to be a Pittsburg Steeler me both of you let me figure out this mic thing first before I uh I mean it's surreal I mean to be out be out here for the first time and uh kind of see what the city's about and what the people are about man it's it's crazy for me es especially you know growing up a fan so yeah likewise I mean just growing up watching the Pittsburgh Steelers you know Bill Cower uh was a coach that played at NC State for so long you know just growing up uh watching the Steelers defense I can't wait to be a part of this brand and you know this city I love [Applause] it what's the like growing up being a Troy palalo fan and then getting drafted to the same team that he was so good for yeah I mean that's how the whole fan thing started um you know watching my first football game and I'm like oh who's this guy you know he's got the same name as me I'm like he's the coolest guy ever and then from then on it kind of just grew to love you know the the game how they played it in the organization and then um you know like later on in my career like especially towards College people were telling me you couldn't be a fan because you never know where you're going to go but I mean here I am so I'm super excited to be here there we go okay so I had the pleasure of announcing your pick did I get the name right you did yeah I've heard everything don't worry about it what's been the worst pronunciation of your name uh they like switched the letters the n and the T Fatu I'm like you can't just read like I yeah it's I've heard it all my whole life so say it right for all of our listeners so they can get it right so it's f tanu f tanu there we go yeah I I I got a chance to see you in the in you know when you were at udub and playing in the college playoffs I loved your energy um can you go through what you bring to the Pittsburgh Steelers yeah I mean for me as an offensive lineman like I think the biggest thing is just your mentality uh just the way you play football like you got to be able to um show show up every single down cuz I got to go against guys like you you know what I mean and um the the the time you take a playoff you're done you know what I mean you're getting shot on the TV your face is getting zoomed in on uh but man I feel like just the mentality the way I play football man I just want to be able to go out there and hit somebody in the mouth and uh to be completely simple like it's uh it's the way you're supposed to play football and that's how I was raised that's how my coaches coached me to play and um I think the yeah I think that's the biggest thing for sure so pton with you me and Hayden were watching it last night and man everybody like to talk about the injur stuff I don't really care for that but what I loved was seeing how you ran to the ball I to play on our defense you got to run to the ball and it's not a jog it's not you know a meander it's Sprint to the ball a sense of urgency what's going through your mind when the ball's in play uh I mean I've kind of said this my whole life um if there's 75 plays I'm just the kind of person that wants to make 75 plays you know I want to make 75 tackles whatever it is that's just how I played uh grew up in a very blue collared area just you know grew up wrestling so just that mentality's kind of been instilled to me my whole life like I don't know when I'm out there and someone's got the ball in their hands I want to hit them so bad and I just want to I mean I want to be the first person there every single time and you know like you said I have been through some injuries but at the end of the day it's it's really taught me not to take this game for granted which I think a lot of people do like every snap you never know when it can be your last and that's how I play and that's how I'm going to continue to play I love that say and don't worry about not having an ACL Hines Ward and Greg Lloyd both played for this organization without an ACL and they were both great so the way you run I don't want an ACL if I could run like that very impressive I do want to bring up you brought up the wrestling background we just talked to Zach about his background with wrestling who's winning in a match I mean I'm not going to sit here and say him n i mean he's up in West Virginia I mean I want a state championship in North Carolina West Virginia is a a little better style of wrestling it's a little more competitive but I don't know I'd like to say I give him a run for his money for sure there you go there you go speak through the draft process for both of you guys you going to take it yeah I mean for me it was uh it was it was definitely a process um you guys that definitely get to know me throughout it but I'm not the flashiest guy in the world like I just love ball and that's kind of who I am like I don't know the I just want to get to rookie mini camp and play ball like it I told everyone it was a childhood dream to go to the combine to meet all these coaches but at the end of the day like I can't wait for rookie mini camp and to get back to playing ball yeah I mean I can totally backpack off that man um at the end of the day what matters is is football and I'm I'm ready to play it you know this this process has been very long and it's been tedious and having to talk to a whole bunch of people but at the end of the day um finally you know we finally have the team that we're going to so we get to focus on what's really important and that's um contributing so what's been the craziest draft question that you've been asked during the process both personally I haven't had too many crazy yeah they they took it easy on me at the combine I mean yeah I honestly can't think right now at least um yeah I'm right there with him I've heard some crazy stories about some crazy questions but I don't know if I come across as some serious guy that they don't want to ask those two or something which I'm I mean I'm as cool as it gets but no I never got I I mean I never got any of those crazy questions mostly just ball yeah is there a player you're excited to play with on the Pittsburgh Steelers um I mean Russell Wilson juston Fields I mean that whole line room too I get to learn from guys like that and um yeah basically everyone on the team I don't know expl it like you know I'm I'm ready to suck up as much knowledge as I can and learn from all you guys that have been around the game for that's awesome so I mean the whole deam defense I mean a bunch of superstars over there really with you TJ y I mean everybody over there I mean Patrick que Patrick Queen who just got here um I literally just can't wait to like he said I can't wait to get around the vets and just literally just soak up all the knowledge and try to become the best player I possibly can Peyton are you ready to go backup cam when he inevitably starts getting shoved around by Zach and Troy and practice this this training camp who said I'm getting shoved you're the fighter you're he's going to fight so just warning you now that's what he is so you got to back him up all right yeah I mean I'mma I'm G love this guy to death right here but when it comes when it comes to my boys on defense I mean when it's go time it's go time yeah just know that that o line room there's five of us so yeah and there's 11 guys on defense who like to fight so we'll see we'll jump Five Guys how about that I'll take my five that sounds nice all right um as we you know go through the draft um what was that moment like with your families you know it seemed like there was a lot of motion for both of you guys oh yeah I mean yeah I wouldn't trade it for the world man being able to to share that moment with all my family um you know setting up the party and uh it's supposed to start small right start small and then it turns from 50 and then all of a sudden 100 people show up at the party and I'm like um it only made it better man and be able to share that moment with my grandmothers was something that I really um was looking forward to and I did and uh to just be able to have everyone there and you know kind of show love back to the people that showed me love from day one was always something special so that's dope that's dope yeah I mean very similar to what he said I mean I didn't have a ton of people there I'm I'm super simple I was just my mom my dad my girlfriend um you know that that's who I love most in this world and that's who I wanted to spend that moment with so just I mean seeing the emotion on my parents' face just seeing how proud of they were of me I mean it meant everything to me I mean just making my parents happy is you know all I really cared about in that moment so you chose 7 six right that's going to be your new number right what about you uh I think I'm going to be wearing 41 for a little bit ooh Spain I like it that's there we go is there anybody in the league you guys model your game after uh personally I would say the left tackle from the Chargers ran Slater I watch a lot of his game uh pan he's another Polynesian guy that's you know killing it in the league right now but I would say the the person I that I watch the most is um Christian derasa from the Vikings so he's all dogs yeah I mean for me I mean I grew up watching Luke Keeley um that's kind of you know who I've really modeled my whole game after my whole life just you know his football IQ and the way he played but you know recently it's kind of funny I've been studying a lot of Patrick Queen even this past season when he was with the Ravens um um and then he's a stealer now and then uh know um but uh Logan Wilson um who who I think is a great player learned a lot from him with his Zone coverage just trying to take bits and pieces of people's game just to help Elevate mine I hate to bring this up cuz I don't like talking Michigan I went to Ohio State um Roman Wilson we just drafted him he beat you guys in The Natty have you guys talked yet we have not no I texted him but no have not talked to him you going to beat him up [Laughter] nah all right this question is for Troy um you say you play with a violent mindset how do you turn that on before a game uh for me like I don't do anything special before the games like I don't have have like a pregame ritual or anything like that I usually listen to like R&B music which is kind of weird to people cuz I don't I don't like to get hyped before game I like to calm myself down before games okay which helps me go out there and uh play you know at the level that I want to play at so you're going to be oddly surprised when you get in our locker room there's no R&B playing oh yeah and I mean I'm sure that's everywhere yeah no one wants to listen to R&B before the game you got Mike T there's one song he loves to have play um it's by Drake and 21 Savage uh knife talk he loves that song and is he's like gang stuff that's all I'm talking but uh TJ uh he loves every rap song That's from the 2000s um you know it sounds like he was listening to a CD player before um and so the music is just like bro we got to put on something new um it gets out of control but uh it's pretty fun um when you when Payton your brother MLB pitcher played for the Pirates yeah yeah he did um he's in Milwaukee now has he given you advice about Pittsburgh uh I mean we loved it here I mean it's an amazing City he stayed in the Strip District which was uh an amazing area uh I mean we came up here a few times to watch him play and I mean he loved it here and you know just having him in my life as a role model has been amazing just the way that he goes about being a professional athlete kind of just taking a lot from him that's awesome all right last question and the M let these guys go what do you want to tell Steelers Nation to expect from you I mean just expect someone to come right come in right away and just work very very hard you know what I mean I'm just willing to take whatever role that the coaches give me and just run with it and I'm super excited to be a part of this organization and be a part of this this great City and um play in front of these great fans so I'm just super excited to be here and I'm blessed man I just want to you know I wouldn't be here without God so God I am he gave the very mild manner answer Payton I want some energy you're a linebacker I need I need them to feel it yeah um I mean I think I got like he said I Think Jesus Christ brought me here for a reason um this this brand of defense that I grew up watching I mean even if you go back to the 2010 2012 Steelers defense like that's who I am that's how I play and you know I like to take people's heads off and I like to fly around with the best of them so there we go there but ex exactly like he said whatever role I'm approach with I'm going to do it I'm going to come in work as hard as I can and then goal for both of us I mean not speaking on his behalf but I mean all of us is to get a Super Bowl and that's what I'm here to do help all work on it I got to work on it too yeah yeah well I want to say thank you to you guys especially I know you got a a busy schedule um take these moments in um appreciate uh you guys being able to come up but uh you know we're look hoping for the best can't wait to work with you guys uh one more one more time give a round of applause for these guys before we get into everything else what does it mean to be Pittsburgh Steeler for me it means a lot like growing up a lot of my uh family and friends were Steelers fans um again grown up I never thought I would play for the Steelers but just being here like it feels like family It Feels Like Home uh I'm just like really blessed to be a part of this community bro like I I've been here for 15 minutes and I I love you guys you guys are one of the best fan bases I ever been around so with getting drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers there's a lineage of great wide receivers um talk about the tradition and what you're walking into being a Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver um I mean just playing for the Steelers in general like some big shoes to fill um you're always always going to be a contender you're always going to be one of the better teams and just being a part of that team and being a receiver that's got to come in and play and you know help a team win um I mean for me like I'm not nervous or anything I just feel like I'm happy I'm excited for I'm excited to play for this team and just get to work that's what's up are you prepared to make a bet with this guy this year come November loser loser wears a hoodie probably the fourth straight year you're going to be wearing a Michigan hoodie we got to do like the whole fit and the shoes yeah I like this guy oh that's a conf too that's a confident bad too right there now y'all just had all these people drafted so we making that bet we can make it just be ready to wear a 3X you know oate sweatshirt y' have been favored the last three years and it hasn't worked out very good for you don't matter where the game's played either so I'm going to give the talk before the game so I'm handling that sure okay oh man I don't even like talking man this is killing me um but talk about winning the national championship this past year um you know you guys went on a run um obviously you were there was a lot of pressure elsewhere but you guys stayed intact uh that process must have been pretty special yeah um you know going to the playoffs two times in a two times in a row and losing it's not a good feeling and we had a lot of guys who were on the edge of coming back or transferring you know I don't know there's a lot of questions going into that last year and you know being the team we are everyone deciding to come back everyone deciding to put their own personal gains assign to you know be a part of a team and really get a goal I feel like that's what it was about you know it wasn't it was never about the stats it was never about um any accolades it was just about the teammates coming together and putting the differences aside to get a ring like that's what that's what matters it's just rings I don't think anything else really matters so how did Coach haral prepare you for the next level yeah just um just being a role model for me a guy I can I can learn from and trust and and um you know talk about football and talk about my personal life and him giving me um his experience things like that and just making me become a better man and just getting me ready for not just football but for real life and just making me become a better man I feel like he really help me grow up so with that did he ever how many times did he walk around with no shirt on just khakis never I've never seen him like even like he go in the cold tub like he goes in the cold tub cold tub like polo one oh wow Polo oh wow po khakis Polo everything this is y head coach y get excited about he get free hey man that's a national champion coach though you need to refer to him as okay yeah um is it going to be awkward seeing Troy now that you beat him in the National Championship uh no maybe if I lost so it's more Awkward for him maybe a little bit I don't I don't know probably not honestly what did you do after the National Championship uh I had a flight in the morning so I just hung out with some boys in Flight in the morning Florida get ready for the senior bow there you go okay I like it I like it Coach Co uh talking about Coach Harbaugh he did not eat the chicken because it was a nervous bird what about you you ask me if I ate it yeah I caught it I will say his stance changed on that too the nervous bird thing I think he changed I think because he he got a bunch of chickens and they started laying eggs for him so I think he thought they're good workers so that his stance did change on that okay just saying um you went to the same high school as the herings yep my dog you know pretty well yeah Nick yeah we pretty much like grew up together play JV Varsity he's my that's my dog oh wow I was just talking to him before this what did he have to say uh just like congrats like if I need anything like reach out it kind of felt like like didn't miss a beat like just regular call but it's like seems It's like surreal that we're on the same team now so that's Prett so did you go over his house and eat all the food cuz his his mom can cook not yet I'm about to I need a homecooked meal too I know his mom will be whipping up she comes in during the season she throws down yeah really what's she making here was she man everything she did like spam Sushi you think it would sound nasty but it is amazing yeah oh um what is it the ribs the uh o it was a special type of ribs they were amazing I'm getting hungry thinking about it about the cow yes yes that's good yeah yes name a guy you're excited about playing with this year uh Russ that's my that's my dog bro yeah he he he could be the real deal man I love him I grew up watching him I'm excited to get to work with him man like for real I was I was up all night just thinking about it like I'm ready to work that's what's up did you has he reached out yet yeah he called me uh last night it was kind of funny um like there's no caller ID so it was just like R the numbers and then it said like maybe and then say Russ who the hell is Russ no it was cool that's dope um with that you know you're a wide receiver who likes to catch the ball but I've seen plays of you dominating people running the ball speak to being a wide receiver who wants the block uh I feel like it's just like a extension of a passing play you know um if my running back or even my old linemen are going to sacrifice their body uh for me then like I I'm no better than to do that for them when they're trying to make a big play as well I feel like just very unselfish if you don't want to um it's just something missig getting put in my head like just don't shy away from it like just if it's going to help the team win just let's do it let's dive into it let's be all committed to it like I just feel like that's what it comes down to and plus I feel like it's like fun too like when you get a pancake or you shed a block like it's it's a different feeling than than catching the past very true very true um explain the draft process for you how how was that going through everything it was good like I said uh from the national championship to the senior bll to the combine to prod day visit it's been good it's a long process but you know obviously it paid off and I'm just I'm just excited to kind of be over with it but very excited to just have a team that I want to play for you drove in this morning yeah yeah like four hours woooo excuse me um and then the last question question what can Steeler Nation expect with you uh I feel like I'm going to be a guy who can come in and I'm going to work my ass off and I'm going to get everything I got um I watch a lot of receivers get picked in front of me and I'm just hungry I'm ready to prove people wrong well I want to say thank you for coming on not just football podcast uh it's been an honor to talk to you not a wolverine but now a Pittsburgh Steeler I'm looking forward to that

Channel: Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

Views: 66,081

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Id: l7Ii0X2u47Y

Length: 52min 2sec (3122 seconds)

Published: Thu May 02 2024