ground NFL player of the Year Awards. Is Jonathan, Taylor
voting ends tomorrow night.
So cast your vote. Now, for Jonathan Taylor. Donna, that
AFL.com who has raided Rob Lowe's closet. Apparently fan
of leagues. Rob Lowe. Rob Lowe with the had a couple of years
ago with the NFL shield on how we got the T-shirt with
the NFL. Should
I love it though? I think it's awesome.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate you two having me on here. I mean, it's a pleasure.
You always. You know, listen to you two, and then finally being
able to be here and Iraq that look at you. Wow. Wow, see he's
lying. He doesn't want, he doesn't, he's kids enough
is enough. He's trying to build up some Equity, right? He's got
John Jersey. He gets Jonathan. Let me tell you this though.
Two years ago. I interviewed it scouting combine. I'm sure you
don't remember because you're in the middle of the,
you know, the blender
he was supposed to be him too. But he was, he was, he was very
ill, he was very ill. So he missed the interview inside of
this event, but we hooked up during the draft process and we
hit a,
we talk to each other a little bit like, Zoom, that time.
Uh, yeah, a little-little
personal relationship that way. I mean first off
tell me about, you know, hey, what's it mean running back?
Leading the league in rushing like dream come true type of
stuff this year. It's like you mentioned. It's amazing. It's
a dream come true. I mean you're running back and part of trying
to be the best player, the best running back and you can be
is leading whatever conference lead your in so leading and she
double-a and rushing That season or leading the NFL in
rushing. So, I mean, it was amazing and it was a special.
The share with those guys up front because
they don't get a lot of Glitz and glamour,
you know, they get a
great job, offensive line, great job. They, they're
the ones Paving the way but it's no. These guys are the ones
making it happen. They make it go. You got a group in front of
you. What was it? Like to what you're explaining the right
there?
What took so long for the Run game to get going this year.
What do you think was the finally, like the light bulb
moment for Frank Reich or the team? That was like, we got to
start giving this guy the ball more. I mean, we definitely
getting reps to Gather with one another. I mean, everyone deals
with injuries throughout Camp. So we had quarterback,
offensive
line, a couple of different players. And and now we don't
want. Yep. One person comes back. Another person is down.
So finally getting everyone back together and then getting
those accumulator reps and that's what you want occur over
the course of the Season. You should be
getting better and better and better. And I think that's what
we did. And speaking of reps yet, 232 carries as a rookie
and you had exactly one hundred more 332 in your second year.
How do
you feel physically after having that many attempts as
a running back in the NFL? I feel great, but I think that's
a testament to the coaches and the strength conditioning staff
being open working with the players knowing, hey, where do
we need to pull back? Some where do we need to pour more
into to make sure each week? We still got the exact amount of
work that we needed to be prepared
each and every single week II. Know you're, Johnny
preparation. I can already tell. I know that you're like,
mr. Work ethic like, tell me
season. Is over. How long we wait, and what's the offseason
regimen? Because it's running back. I know you're a freak of
nature. But the good ones like you're talking about. They work
too. How do you kind of go about your offseason and
getting yourself ready? Again? You definitely have to take
that break. I mean,
there's nothing more
that will recover you than rest, right? So you need at
least two weeks of just rest, right? You just your body's
been going going going. You need just rest. Then you just
start prepping the body. Back up again. Doing little Mobility
things, stretches.
Just to get the body mobile, right? Get it loose and then
you start ramping up a little bit. You start doing a little
things on the bike. You start doing some damn work, right?
And you start transitioning into wait,
and then once you build your body armor up, you're feeling
really strong. You're feeling great time to hit the field and
it's time to start, you know, doing the drills,
change the direction football, your bag drills.
So as I like the progress through it, but first thing
after the season, right? Is rash, you just got to let all
of that swelling and inflammation just Go down.
Well, you get to a point this seat off season at the end of
that process, where you'll be like, you know,
like Mike is sometimes just in the weight room power cleans
like we're used to not live with are not serious though. It
will you do that? Like major heavyweight kind of workout.
Definitely. I mean, I'm a big believer and building your body
armor up over the course of the office, right over the course
of the season.
Your body is going to induce wear and tear,
no matter what position you play.
So, the best thing you can do is come in with your body armor,
your body in Tip-Top shape.
And so, instead of going
here on a steady decline, it
tears, gradual gradual. So you're able to maintain
throughout the season. Yeah. Well you guys were the team
that I think no one wanted to see in the playoffs.
I think you guys would have been in a position to really
make some noise and beat some teams and maybe even be here.
And I so we have to ask. I mean, when you look at what
happened, the Saturday night game, you had an awesome
performance against the Patriots won that game.
Christmas night special night. You go out and beat
the Cardinals. Yeah. What, what, when you look,
Back on it. I hate to bring up a
we gotta know what happened
to keep the Colts from. Finishing the deal and get into
the playoffs. I think it's definitely execution. I mean,
and that happened a couple of times in the beginning of
the Season, you know, when you're in that fourth quarter, how do
you finish teams? Whether you're up by a lot? Whether
you're just up by a touchdown, a few point, you need to finish
teams. And I think that's something that we didn't, we
didn't get to do those last two games of the season
and going into this year.
Actually, the talk has been
whatever. Takes what are you willing to sacrifice? What are
you going to do? How how selfless are you going to be?
What are you going to put to the side and say,
I can't do that or
I need to spend more time here. Whatever. It takes in order to
be all in, in order to make sure we get to where we need to
go at the end of the year. And the owner of the team has been
saying that repeatedly, I mean, he's done videos on Twitter and
and does that resonate with the players, when the guy
who's in charge, the guy who signs the checks is saying, hey
everybody, we're going all in if you're not all in. In get
all out. It definitely does. And just a matter of fact that
just from top to bottom,
the occults organization as a whole is second to none.
As far as that family atmosphere being able to truly
care for each and every single player and understanding, they,
hey, like you mentioned, you need to be all in. If you're in
the building
you need to be all in. If not,
you need to be all out. And I think that's something as
a group as a player, as we decided like, hey, this
offseason uses as fuel and be ready to be all in whatever it
takes.
Every single day each and every single week,
you think? Like you like
and this is natural human emotions, but like human complacency,
seeing the Jaguars on the schedule. Just thinking, wait.
They won one game, the whole year. We're a playoff team.
Like, do you think that crept into your locker room or
the thought of the team going into that week, 18 matchup?
I don't think that crept in because everyone knows, I mean,
even last season, the final game of the year, right? That
game was was close, right, that game was close. We had to win
to get in,
right? So So we know, divisional matchup game. Yeah,
I mean, it doesn't matter what the records are, especially in
the division game, Anything Can Happen On Any Given Sunday and
it's just a matter of fact of just being able to finish, when
you're able to have some momentum,
you're able to put some points up, being able to still keep
your foot on the gas and just finish a pony. Yeah. Where do
you need to improve? I mean, when you have such a special
season, youngest player in league history, with 2,000
yards from scrimmage and to get 20 plus touchdowns.
How do you find a way to push yourself to the next level when
you're already at?
Pretty much the highest level you can be at not. You're
definitely, definitely looking forward to being able to excel
in the passing game. As far as coverage is on the move, you
know, as you're releasing to the route looks like it looks
like to
from the pre-snap but then it has the snap goes on. Okay,
where do they get any to now? What were they trying to
disguise? So, you know,
being able to do that as a runner being able to see
a certain front. And then once the play starts, you have a pre
determining factor. I think the ball is going here and read it
on the Move playing fast. Now, doing the same thing in
the passing game,
okay. As the snap goes. What are we doing? What am I seeing?
Okay, maybe I can sit this down, or I can break this out.
I see a
void here. You're, I mean, you're for your nature, you
really are these rare running back, that can we got to run
between the tackles like sledgehammer?
And then also be like, oh, see you later. I'm running for
an 80-yard touchdown. It's rare. It really is. And I like what
you're saying about the pass game, because that seems where
it's going next.
What are like,
who's a running back that you look up to in the NFL right
now? That's playing where you go man. His game is real. Like
I really have a lot of respect for what he does.
So one I definitely love Nick Chubb, just as a Pure Runner.
Yeah, Nick Chubb. Is that between the town? He's like you
and a lot of able to just run through Defenders able to make
people Miss.
They just fallen off of them. Yeah,
but then also I definitely love watching.
Dalvin cook and Christian McCaffrey. Yeah,
Dalvin cook, you can just see those subtle cuts that he makes
there really quick there, really decisive? And then
Christian McCaffrey. I mean if you want to
be excellent in the passing, right?
If you want it, obvious round, really want to excel. I mean,
that's the guy you should be watching right? As a running
back in the NFL and Chris uses, the term, all the time car.
Crashes your in car, crash hits all the time. Two years into
the NFL
who has hit you the hardest and who have you hit the hardest.
Who has hit me the hardest?
Definitely, I would have to say
Zach from well, actually, he's not with Houston anymore. He's
doubting him
kind of. Yeah, they released him late in the year and he
found Titans. Yeah, so he definitely got you. He got me
really good. He got me really good like past game or just
like you saw coming. He squared you up and
last game and he kind of
hit the brakes a little bit. The kind of I guess because on
film you can see it was going going going right? Hit
the brakes a little bit, then hit the As I mean, so I'm thinking
okay. This is going to be a hands game that I mean,
you know be able to strike reset my hands and he just
right past vertex. Yeah, it was bad. You had to deal with. That
was my rookie year. So he definitely, he definitely got
me good there and then hit the hardest.
I mean, I know, I had a couple hard runs my rookie year versus
Jacksonville
for a fact, especially going towards away from our locker
room where you laid the wood on some guys. You got like thought
I got smiles. Yeah.
I got into the end zone but I was down sure that the one
how excited you get though when you get past the first two
levels and you know, it's a defensive back that you can
maybe try to plow over. And that's when you gotta relax.
When you get, when you get to that level. You got to relax
because
you're in the open field. You're like, oh,
I'm here. I can, I can make something happen, but you got
to relax. Stay calm.
You really have to think, that's what I know. So you
don't trip and fall. That's what anxious, you know, that's
what I noticed. You really have to relax when you break through
to that third level. Up the board. Do you look up at
the board to see who's chasing you at that point? Because I know
a lot of
guys do that. I've done that once, I've done that once and
a lot of times I just look Pat.
I just look back in a couple of the Vets are like menus. Use
the board,
you do it. Dude is so fast that in the the Patriots game when
he broke the run of the end of the game. He was running away
from j.c. Jackson and looking at the sidelines, whether the
I saw you say this on the
you're not hard knocks
where he was looking to the sideline as he was running for
the touch. Down to see, maybe if they were telling him to go
down. That's when you kind of know your fast, man.
That was actually insane.
Usually, we have a call going in like, Hey, we're in church
mode. Yeah. Right now, go down. Yeah, we didn't get that call.
So everyone's in a huddle, like way, know, what's the mode
here? And, you know, a couple guys, some of the Vets are
like, man. I think we're in church mode other guys in,
like, I
don't know. So I'm just double-checking, double-check,
but I know, but look at you, what a good player and just
running for touchdowns and check in with the coaches, on
the way doing it. Go to nfl.com right now vote. For Jonathan
Taylor for the FedEx Ground player of the year. The yeah.
Voting is open emaar and Thursday night. Jonathan
Taylor, quite possibly
the offensive player of the year for the 2021 season. Great
to see you in about that one for you. I'm sorry Cooper. You
got some competition in that department for cut, right? Oh
my God.
Yeah. He's an animal next year, when he breaks the record of
the guy who was here, yesterday, our dick I get 2000.
He 106 get 2106. No big deal, get its MVP then it's offensive
play this. Everything that's
Super Bowl. Yeah. All right. Jonathan great. Senior prank.
You guys so much the man.