June 8, 2026 • 22 mins
Sebastian Castro conversó con Álvaro Martín y Arturo Carlos durante la Final Nacional del Torneo de Flag Football 2026 en la CDMX. Habló sobre lo que significa para él vivir esta experiencia en México, su conexión con sus raíces mexicanas, el talento joven del país y la pasión con la que se juega el flag football. También destacó el nivel de habilidad de los jugadores, su mensaje para niños que buscan llegar al máximo nivel, el impacto de estos eventos en las nuevas generaciones, el futuro del talento mexicano y las emociones que le genera ver a jóvenes persiguiendo el mismo sueño que él tuvo. Además, compartió su preparación rumbo a la temporada 2026, así como los cambios que ha visto y vivido en su desarrollo y crecimiento profesional.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ye Estos podcast to look and were Sorello Spittsburg Steelers
and the podcast of the Los Spittsburg Steelers podcast In
Maculo con Martin, Yeah, Tro Carlos.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
A Media Tornaio the Flag football a key in sa
A Mexico and La Masias take the Monterrey them companies, Castro, Yeah,
you're going to keep us ten perspe and Profundo is
the Illinois Passa is a fabric Attan Linda, who are
the Americano and the.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Are you are those hawk guys?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Kayaka going to the Pittsburgh per se that memorable perna
Ki come familiars in Ma man Rice Clara as mexicanos paras.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
They will, they started, they will.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
What a great basic for you and your family to
come see this when we come to Mexico, but to
see Mexico in the context of American football.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
No, yeah, it's uh, definitely something I guess I didn't expect.
I heard about it, but I didn't I didn't think
that like it was very serious. Like it was like
just seeing the little kids how seriously they took it,
but they're having fun at the same time, and which
is great to see because it reminds me of like
the younger, younger, younger me, and like I took it
(01:32):
serious and I still take it serious. But uh, just
growing up and seeing that and seeing these kids do
the same thing, I feel like it's just like watching
the younger me.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
But the younger you didn't play flag football.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No, no, you have.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
To wait to kind of get to play in an
organized fashion and then play contact.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah when did you get started?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
While I was about eight eight years old? And so
I remember, yeah, I remember my first practice there was
tackling drills with the pads on eighteen years old, and
that's back that was back in two seven or eight,
and so the rules are a little different, and like
now if people are trying to protect each other and
be safer about it, and uh, but that was yeah,
(02:16):
when I started playing this, the rules were so a
little different. People were just wearing as aware of the
rules in safety. So but we were somewhat safe. It
was it got a little rough. But I remember like
my first day of practice and react tackling drolls and
it just looked like it sounded bad, like a hurt
(02:36):
and sound bad. I'm like, I don't know, like it
was intimidy, but I just remember just like embracing it
and just realizing that I was good at It's like
I so just like I don't know if you heard
the saying called like be the hammer, not the nails,
Like if you like take the hit, it's gonna hurt
a lot more than if you if you give delivery.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
And so that's a number one.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah. So I learned that at a young age to
be the hammer, and uh, I feel like that's benefited
me in the long run. So uh but yeah, I
remember that first day was very intimidating. I was like
calling I feel like ask any football player back in
the day, like when you're in line, you're seeing who's
who you're gonna match up with. So you're coming down like, okay,
(03:20):
it's gonna be him. Three guys, Oh that's a big kid.
I might have to switch line. I might have to
you know, switch Yeah, he actually connects me. You want
to switch because you don't know what's gonna happen when
you hit that big kid. So but that's a little
like a little story of how it was back.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
In the.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And you stay that.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
Quarterback getting quarterbacks which was your position when you got there,
Because it sounds like you were on the defensive set
since they won.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Oh yeah, I've always been like more like a tougher kid,
rugged kid, just growing up because before I played football
with h when I was eight. Before that, I was
playing sports since I was what four, so like, and
we would do all types of sports, and football is
one of them, even without the pads, like in our
basement for Christmas when you have all the family over,
(04:16):
we would play football in the in the basement and
just tackle each other, like up against the wall or
something like that. And uh, so I was always a
tough kid. I was always the youngest kid too, so
I f like that helped me, just playing with the older,
older cousins and older friends and older brothers and everything
like that. So I just, uh I had to be
tough because I didn't want to send like the chicken.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
So I that's an interesting question.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I always ask players that grew up in the States
that are Hispanic or Latin. Your family didn't grow up
with a sport, You didn't have an uncle at play.
You know, typically you see Hispanic guys in the NFL
as being pioneers. Now now you're seeing people like you
that grew up into kind of a culture was the
culture being in Illinois and surrounded by people who.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Just love the sports, say I want to be part
of that or watch it.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
No, my family knew enough to appreciate it and to
understand that I was going to play football and love
the fact that I played football.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
What was that? What was that like in your case?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Yeah, like my family growing up, it was football wasn't
a thing that like, especially American football. It was soccer, yes,
but American fort was not a thing that we just
like we're interested in. But just growing up in the
southwest suburbs of Chicago, just having friends and then just
(05:33):
like wanting to join and just be like our friends
and because they're doing it. And really I started playing
football because my brother started playing football. So I just
was trying to be like him, you know, just being
a little brother, just following the crowd. And uh. So
that's why going back to I was always the youngest
one and just trying to tag along and uh. But yeah, uh,
(05:58):
going back to your original question is just, uh, it
wasn't something that we was part of the family. It
was just something we started, me and my brother really,
and it just from our love of playing it. Our
I guess our family started like paying attention more and
uh because they were more interested in what we were doing.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So so people helped you along the way. He went
to Richard High School. Yeah, and now Tony.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
She hid, Yeah, that's my head coach. Yeah, head coach.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
He's the one that sort of began to mentor you
and saw talent and you wanted to develop you a
player for his team, but then saw a little something
in you and that became your mentor. It wasn't your uncle,
it wasn't your grandfather, it wasn't your it was people
that like saw you as an athlete said okay, let
me help that get that kid's got something right.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Yeah, at a young age when it came to football,
I would say she and he, Uh, he definitely because
my brother went to to this obviously he was my
older brother, so he went to the high school before me,
and uh, so they knew a little bit about me
going in to.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Her brother bragged about you. I don't know if he.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Bragged, but they just he made his own reputation. So
like I, I was just trying to be like him,
and uh, I wanted to finish when he started and
at the at the high school because they didn't. They
wanted to win a championship and they had a Richards
hasn't won championship in nineteen eighty two, so I wanted
to do that, and that's why I went to Richards
And but she and definitely I played quarterback and she
(07:19):
and helped the quarterbacks. So that's how our relationship developed.
And but yeah, I remember she looking out after me
and just trying to help me as a player and
as a person too.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So but I understand you ended up with ninety five tackles,
sixty and a.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Half tackles for a loss, six interceptions. Yeah, in high
school senior year.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
No, yeah, that was the senior year.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, there's a.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Because I'm exactly say they just thought.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
It university come for that transition when you put that
kind of numbers, uh, in high school. It's not a
common number for a defense player in high school. But
how about your transition going to Iowa for to play college?
Speaker 4 (08:11):
The transition was it was tough for me because I
had learned a lot, Like I learned that in high school.
I was talented, but when I first got to college,
it was if you didn't know anything about Iowa. Iowall
helps people get ready for the NFL, and that's not
their main job. Like they don't they don't bring players
to make the metaform players. But that's just what happens.
(08:32):
That's how Kirk Farans does it. But I had to
learn a lot and I had no idea what I
didn't know about football.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So like.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
I wouldn't be in the NFL without what I learned
and from all the people from Iowa and UH, from
guys like coach park and foot uh and Kirk Farans,
So that transition was not easy. Just learned the game
just from everything you know.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
So Kirk Farens is well known in NFL circles.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I think Kirk for they don't get the Iowa but
the field Parker, you see other people. You Okay, people
think they're gonna be able Statue and Parker for all
they've done for the NFL in terms of all the
players they brought in.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Yeah no, yeah, I don't. I don't doubt it because
they they definitely have a way of uh just like
just teaching and UH and like they're like again, like
a mission is not to make when they recruited kids,
not to make him an NFL player, is to get
him ready for life after college and everything. So just
(09:43):
having that process, through that process, they if they have opportunity,
then that's what happened, and that if they're talented enough
to play and have good careers. It's just it's a bonus.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
I guess you have a trained eye for football players.
You've seen them all since high school, now college and
the pros.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
When you look at.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
These kids playing on these fields, and some of them
stand out because they seem to stand out there just
a little bit more athletic, What are you looking at?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
What?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
What do you find?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I mean, there's things where you can't it's hard to miss,
like how someone's athletic, How ak can jump up and
catch the ball at as high as point, how a
quarterback can just throw it pretty pretty good and pretty
far and pretty accurate. And but there's like the little
little things you know, it's too where people don't really
(10:31):
pick up on where like you could tell they pay
attention and they learn, they take their time to learn
the rules and just how to be savvy about the
flag football because it's different from contact football obviously, so
but like just look, you can tell they just learn
how to go about it and just it's pretty cool
to watch and how they take take serious.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
We saw some retired players and some current players play
the US Official Flag Football National team, and it was
an interesting setup. You don't have this notion that hey,
I put me on the field, like I can go
to the LA and get a gold medal just because
I'm a great acte. In the NFL, it's good enough.
There's a transition to this type. Oh yeah, tremendous.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
And I didn't watch the game, but I heard that.
Then then the NFL players lose that game, right, so
it's a it's a different game.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
It's like you can always blame that it was old
guys like Gronk and and but no, it's a different game.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Right, Like I didn't watch the game, but I heard
like there was that the flag football players just were
just moving a lot faster and just so like yeah,
just it's they're a professional of their own sport. So
it's different.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Given your taste to be the hammer and not the nails,
you would be frustrated with approaching somebody just grabbing the
flag out and avoiding contact.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
That would frustrate a little bit because in the NFL days,
you can't touch the guys like receivers. You can't touch
these guys down the field, but like obviously you can't
in fuck football. The thing you can't do is tackle.
But that's that's speaking up to my knowledge of it,
because I I never played fag football, so I don't
know the ins and outs of little things about it.
So uh, I mean, yeah, I know the game's going
(12:07):
and I'm interested to see how far it can go.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Well, I can tell you that in Mexico, the women's
national team has won two championships World championships two.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, that an accident.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, And there's actually onto the second generation of girls.
Some of the holders from the championship years are still around,
but they're actually onto the second generation and they're still
beating teams. And then the guys, I think I've made
what a third place? That's showing.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Yeah, yeah, they were a world third place.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
This guy, by the way, or waited all the way
to hell Sinky to one of the world championships.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Yeah, just two years ago.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
And now in all this time, I'm going to Busseldorf
in Germany.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
So we need to do It's a tough life. It's
a tough light tough life because.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, so it's all over the world.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, yeah, yeah, it's well now when I look at
it now, when I see this field that my reaction.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Is, why didn't they do it twenty years ago?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
In other words, this is such a such an easy thing,
especially when you activate the girls. When you say, and
by the way, this is a co ed league, when
you see them play, it's a wonderful thing to get
them activated. Fifty percent of the population now playing a
version of flag of American football.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Yeah, it's way easier.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
We were talking about that before. Alamos the get fail
who flats and understand most quat you know, pract porte yes,
squelas primia and tola those pots who are this sport.
It's pretty easy to play because you just need the
(13:38):
football flags and that's it, and a smaller space. And
you can do it in elementary, middle school everywhere to
to to play, even in the parks, in the in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It helps to to rise the game, know everywhere.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Yeah, now, when I think about it, before I started
playing concert football back in school during recess, we will
play a version.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Of in the backyard.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
It's kind of right organized.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yes, yes, we used to play in our street. There
were cars parked on the other side of the street
and we played with a tennis ball. There was no flag,
was just touched. I remember that there was contact. If
you went for a pass and you were not paying attention,
you would crash into the cars.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, and smash yourself bad.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
That can happen.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
So you could drop it.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
Like just to scurry you because they're not going to reach.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
So yeah, that's a savvy way to when when the game.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Now, new season coming up. Uh, lots of changes. Uh.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Some of the facers are the same, Uh, but the
people in charge of are different, but the expectations the same.
Let me ask you a question. I asked everybody the
same question, like the for people to be patient because
heard profile. Yes, you keep hearing the GMS talk about,
Oh I met this guy, talk to him ex pH
and plate he's a Steeler. What's a steeler? We don't
(15:04):
know what is a steeler? What traits need to happen
need to be put together in one person for that question,
fit into the team and fit into the culture. Because
it seems to be the same across ages. You asked
their monthy Dawson, and it's the same requirements from what
you've seen, you've been there now a couple of years.
What makes a Steeler a Steeler?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Or what would make someone not a Steeler?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Right? Yeah, I hope I can articulate this way so
I can put the best version of a Steeler. But
I feel like, yeah, obviously there's to be a few traits.
I feel like number one if you go, if you
make a list, like number one has to be toughness,
because like that's something that's the Steelers pride themselves on
back back in the day, what was in the seventies eighties,
(15:50):
whenever the steel Curtain was developed, and I remember hearing
them say like if we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose
the game, but we're still gonna go out with the fight.
So I feel like number one, I feel like when
I think that's there's football's toughness too. Maybe together like teamwork,
like brothers, like family. That's why I know it's about
(16:11):
the organization, how mister Rooney likes it. It's a family organization. No,
if you're if you ever if a player walks through
the building, if it has the opportunity to it's because
they had the privilege to go to and not everyone's
invited to to be a steel So I feel like, yeah,
(16:32):
so it's like family, and third is just mm hmm,
what else? What else? We got another trade? There's there's
a lot of trades. I'm missing something.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But I've heard someone say that that you need to
like you need to live in the facility. In other words,
your life is football. You have really no other interests
that you're you're You're just that's what you want to do.
That whether you live in Pittsford or another city, it
doesn't matter because here I am if you give me
the chance, and all I want to do is learn
(17:05):
and go to the facility, practice, heal, whatever it has,
whatever you have to do. You live for football. You
have almost no distractions. That's all you live for.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah, I mean that could be true in some cases.
Everyone's different. Obviously, No it's the same, but I can't
speak for everyone. But I know that's how it is
for me, to be honest, like, there's nothing else I
want to do, like right now, it's just playing football.
Like I know, my life is very short. My football
life is very short, so I want to just maximize
it as much as I can. But I would say, yeah,
(17:37):
football is very important. Like you just look at the
just talk to the Steelers nation, especially in Pittsburgh. It's
just it's a die hard fans, so it's it's very serious.
It's taking very serious. Yeah, last.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Steeler you were mentioning about the toughness to be a
Steeler and you show it up undrafted.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
It was not easy.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Preseason. You got a great hit I remember in the
end the preseason pre season game, but you were in
Tampa and that transition to get back and obviously play
at home in Chicago for that game in November. How
was that part of your process to be part of
the team and your your first year experience.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yeah, my first year was kind of crazy. It was
like a lot of ups and downs of like not
making the National fifty three and then getting picked up
by the Bucks and then I had to move everywhere,
just like picking up my stuff and thinking that I
was gonna be with the Steers and I ended up
getting a place I had and stuff like that. It
(18:46):
was like, well, I wasn't ready for just moving everywhere,
meeting like meeting a new whole team, new culture, and
uh still it was very short. I was only there
for six maybe weeks and uh so learning that side
of the NFL. NFL it's uh, just being able to
adapt to new rooms, new people, what they want the
(19:10):
culture to look like. So this has been my third
coaching staff since being an NFL. So just seeing how
different teams go about it. And uh that's why I
learned different because I usually, like in high school college,
I've never like transferred. I was the same staff all
the time. So uh, that's why I'm learning. It was
it was. It can be hard, but it's that's all.
(19:30):
It is, just adapting learning.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
What's what's it? What's Patrick Graham's like as a person
and as a coach? What what what vibe does he
send out?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
What?
Speaker 3 (19:40):
What's he like?
Speaker 4 (19:41):
He's a players players coach, Like he like you can
talk to him. He's like just like he's a friend.
He feels like one of the players. But when it
comes to football, like here's a switch that he you
could tell he switches and it's very intense. Yeah, he's
just intend football coach. Def it's the coach and uh
(20:03):
how you want him? You know, Uh, he wants to
win and just like you were you would imagine, but
like he I like him. Let's say that I like him,
and I'm pat sure a lot of guys can fast
for him too.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
You know when you look at the ronthe dustin. He's
been here now, he says about five or six different times.
You understand that you're a Steeler and everybody around you
around here thinks that you're you're home. You realize that
your position is unique, that you could be a real
ambassador for football in general.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Uh in Mexico, the.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
World you're saying me in person, particularly personally. Yes, yeah,
I don't think I understand or see how big it is.
You know. Yeah, I really don't know. I'm kind of
naive about it, that's the word. But uh, yeah, I'm learning, Yes,
I'm learning, like I barely found out last year. I
guess how big the Steel's words was in Mexico. So
(20:56):
so I'm learning. I gotta working by Spanish. I got
so I can interact and uh yeah, being more involved
in it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
You know your mom speaks.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know my brother too, and I
don't know what happened because I grew up with my
grandparents and my mom and uh, my grandparents very speak
that much either, So I don't know what happened to me.
It just didn't stick. Oh, I just stopped speaking. I
know that's what they say. I just I just once
I went to school and everything to stop speaking. But
I got I could, I know a little bit enough,
like I know what you were saying. But it's just
(21:26):
the speaking is not as hard. I don't know why
it's like that. The speaking is always harder than.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
You will need to watch morteal and novel presenting for
the sting.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Did you watch that?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
I mean not by choice. Yeah, they always my grandma
always had my mom always had it.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Yeah, so I don't even know the names of him childs,
but I know they always had it. So I was
just it was always in the back.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well listen when wen't let you go? So the kids
really want to see you.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Thank you so much for joining us all the best
this year, and we hope to see you back in
Mexico soon enough.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Okay, yeah me too. It was a good time.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
East of Way the podcast to Look and Are Sorello
Spittsburg Steelers and the podcast of CIL the Loos Spittsburg Steelers.
No be the subscribe I'll podcast of CIL the Loos
Spatsburg Steelers Hers t's Commentarios and Robertos Steelers podcast con
(22:32):
Albaro Martin yea two of Carlos
Ye Estos podcast to look and were Sorello Spittsburg Steelers
and the podcast of the Los Spittsburg Steelers podcast In
Maculo con Martin, Yeah, Tro Carlos.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
A Media Tornaio the Flag football a key in sa
A Mexico and La Masias take the Monterrey them companies, Castro, Yeah,
you're going to keep us ten perspe and Profundo is
the Illinois Passa is a fabric Attan Linda, who are
the Americano and the.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Are you are those hawk guys?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Kayaka going to the Pittsburgh per se that memorable perna
Ki come familiars in Ma man Rice Clara as mexicanos paras.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
They will, they started, they will.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
What a great basic for you and your family to
come see this when we come to Mexico, but to
see Mexico in the context of American football.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
No, yeah, it's uh, definitely something I guess I didn't expect.
I heard about it, but I didn't I didn't think
that like it was very serious. Like it was like
just seeing the little kids how seriously they took it,
but they're having fun at the same time, and which
is great to see because it reminds me of like
the younger, younger, younger me, and like I took it
(01:32):
serious and I still take it serious. But uh, just
growing up and seeing that and seeing these kids do
the same thing, I feel like it's just like watching
the younger me.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
But the younger you didn't play flag football.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No, no, you have.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
To wait to kind of get to play in an
organized fashion and then play contact.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah when did you get started?
Speaker 4 (01:53):
While I was about eight eight years old? And so
I remember, yeah, I remember my first practice there was
tackling drills with the pads on eighteen years old, and
that's back that was back in two seven or eight,
and so the rules are a little different, and like
now if people are trying to protect each other and
be safer about it, and uh, but that was yeah,
(02:16):
when I started playing this, the rules were so a
little different. People were just wearing as aware of the
rules in safety. So but we were somewhat safe. It
was it got a little rough. But I remember like
my first day of practice and react tackling drolls and
it just looked like it sounded bad, like a hurt
(02:36):
and sound bad. I'm like, I don't know, like it
was intimidy, but I just remember just like embracing it
and just realizing that I was good at It's like
I so just like I don't know if you heard
the saying called like be the hammer, not the nails,
Like if you like take the hit, it's gonna hurt
a lot more than if you if you give delivery.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
And so that's a number one.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah. So I learned that at a young age to
be the hammer, and uh, I feel like that's benefited
me in the long run. So uh but yeah, I
remember that first day was very intimidating. I was like
calling I feel like ask any football player back in
the day, like when you're in line, you're seeing who's
who you're gonna match up with. So you're coming down like, okay,
(03:20):
it's gonna be him. Three guys, Oh that's a big kid.
I might have to switch line. I might have to
you know, switch Yeah, he actually connects me. You want
to switch because you don't know what's gonna happen when
you hit that big kid. So but that's a little
like a little story of how it was back.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
In the.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And you stay that.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
Quarterback getting quarterbacks which was your position when you got there,
Because it sounds like you were on the defensive set
since they won.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Oh yeah, I've always been like more like a tougher kid,
rugged kid, just growing up because before I played football
with h when I was eight. Before that, I was
playing sports since I was what four, so like, and
we would do all types of sports, and football is
one of them, even without the pads, like in our
basement for Christmas when you have all the family over,
(04:16):
we would play football in the in the basement and
just tackle each other, like up against the wall or
something like that. And uh, so I was always a
tough kid. I was always the youngest kid too, so
I f like that helped me, just playing with the older,
older cousins and older friends and older brothers and everything
like that. So I just, uh I had to be
tough because I didn't want to send like the chicken.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
So I that's an interesting question.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I always ask players that grew up in the States
that are Hispanic or Latin. Your family didn't grow up
with a sport, You didn't have an uncle at play.
You know, typically you see Hispanic guys in the NFL
as being pioneers. Now now you're seeing people like you
that grew up into kind of a culture was the
culture being in Illinois and surrounded by people who.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Just love the sports, say I want to be part
of that or watch it.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
No, my family knew enough to appreciate it and to
understand that I was going to play football and love
the fact that I played football.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
What was that? What was that like in your case?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Yeah, like my family growing up, it was football wasn't
a thing that like, especially American football. It was soccer, yes,
but American fort was not a thing that we just
like we're interested in. But just growing up in the
southwest suburbs of Chicago, just having friends and then just
(05:33):
like wanting to join and just be like our friends
and because they're doing it. And really I started playing
football because my brother started playing football. So I just
was trying to be like him, you know, just being
a little brother, just following the crowd. And uh. So
that's why going back to I was always the youngest
one and just trying to tag along and uh. But yeah, uh,
(05:58):
going back to your original question is just, uh, it
wasn't something that we was part of the family. It
was just something we started, me and my brother really,
and it just from our love of playing it. Our
I guess our family started like paying attention more and
uh because they were more interested in what we were doing.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So so people helped you along the way. He went
to Richard High School. Yeah, and now Tony.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
She hid, Yeah, that's my head coach. Yeah, head coach.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
He's the one that sort of began to mentor you
and saw talent and you wanted to develop you a
player for his team, but then saw a little something
in you and that became your mentor. It wasn't your uncle,
it wasn't your grandfather, it wasn't your it was people
that like saw you as an athlete said okay, let
me help that get that kid's got something right.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Yeah, at a young age when it came to football,
I would say she and he, Uh, he definitely because
my brother went to to this obviously he was my
older brother, so he went to the high school before me,
and uh, so they knew a little bit about me
going in to.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Her brother bragged about you. I don't know if he.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Bragged, but they just he made his own reputation. So
like I, I was just trying to be like him,
and uh, I wanted to finish when he started and
at the at the high school because they didn't. They
wanted to win a championship and they had a Richards
hasn't won championship in nineteen eighty two, so I wanted
to do that, and that's why I went to Richards
And but she and definitely I played quarterback and she
(07:19):
and helped the quarterbacks. So that's how our relationship developed.
And but yeah, I remember she looking out after me
and just trying to help me as a player and
as a person too.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
So but I understand you ended up with ninety five tackles,
sixty and a.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Half tackles for a loss, six interceptions. Yeah, in high
school senior year.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
No, yeah, that was the senior year.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Yeah, there's a.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Because I'm exactly say they just thought.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
It university come for that transition when you put that
kind of numbers, uh, in high school. It's not a
common number for a defense player in high school. But
how about your transition going to Iowa for to play college?
Speaker 4 (08:11):
The transition was it was tough for me because I
had learned a lot, Like I learned that in high school.
I was talented, but when I first got to college,
it was if you didn't know anything about Iowa. Iowall
helps people get ready for the NFL, and that's not
their main job. Like they don't they don't bring players
to make the metaform players. But that's just what happens.
(08:32):
That's how Kirk Farans does it. But I had to
learn a lot and I had no idea what I
didn't know about football.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
So like.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
I wouldn't be in the NFL without what I learned
and from all the people from Iowa and UH, from
guys like coach park and foot uh and Kirk Farans,
So that transition was not easy. Just learned the game
just from everything you know.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
So Kirk Farens is well known in NFL circles.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I think Kirk for they don't get the Iowa but
the field Parker, you see other people. You Okay, people
think they're gonna be able Statue and Parker for all
they've done for the NFL in terms of all the
players they brought in.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Yeah no, yeah, I don't. I don't doubt it because
they they definitely have a way of uh just like
just teaching and UH and like they're like again, like
a mission is not to make when they recruited kids,
not to make him an NFL player, is to get
him ready for life after college and everything. So just
(09:43):
having that process, through that process, they if they have opportunity,
then that's what happened, and that if they're talented enough
to play and have good careers. It's just it's a bonus.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
I guess you have a trained eye for football players.
You've seen them all since high school, now college and
the pros.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
When you look at.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
These kids playing on these fields, and some of them
stand out because they seem to stand out there just
a little bit more athletic, What are you looking at?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
What?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
What do you find?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I mean, there's things where you can't it's hard to miss,
like how someone's athletic, How ak can jump up and
catch the ball at as high as point, how a
quarterback can just throw it pretty pretty good and pretty
far and pretty accurate. And but there's like the little
little things you know, it's too where people don't really
(10:31):
pick up on where like you could tell they pay
attention and they learn, they take their time to learn
the rules and just how to be savvy about the
flag football because it's different from contact football obviously, so
but like just look, you can tell they just learn
how to go about it and just it's pretty cool
to watch and how they take take serious.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
We saw some retired players and some current players play
the US Official Flag Football National team, and it was
an interesting setup. You don't have this notion that hey,
I put me on the field, like I can go
to the LA and get a gold medal just because
I'm a great acte. In the NFL, it's good enough.
There's a transition to this type. Oh yeah, tremendous.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
And I didn't watch the game, but I heard that.
Then then the NFL players lose that game, right, so
it's a it's a different game.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
It's like you can always blame that it was old
guys like Gronk and and but no, it's a different game.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Right, Like I didn't watch the game, but I heard
like there was that the flag football players just were
just moving a lot faster and just so like yeah,
just it's they're a professional of their own sport. So
it's different.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Given your taste to be the hammer and not the nails,
you would be frustrated with approaching somebody just grabbing the
flag out and avoiding contact.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
That would frustrate a little bit because in the NFL days,
you can't touch the guys like receivers. You can't touch
these guys down the field, but like obviously you can't
in fuck football. The thing you can't do is tackle.
But that's that's speaking up to my knowledge of it,
because I I never played fag football, so I don't
know the ins and outs of little things about it.
So uh, I mean, yeah, I know the game's going
(12:07):
and I'm interested to see how far it can go.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Well, I can tell you that in Mexico, the women's
national team has won two championships World championships two.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Yeah, that an accident.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, And there's actually onto the second generation of girls.
Some of the holders from the championship years are still around,
but they're actually onto the second generation and they're still
beating teams. And then the guys, I think I've made
what a third place? That's showing.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Yeah, yeah, they were a world third place.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
This guy, by the way, or waited all the way
to hell Sinky to one of the world championships.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Yeah, just two years ago.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
And now in all this time, I'm going to Busseldorf
in Germany.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
So we need to do It's a tough life. It's
a tough light tough life because.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, so it's all over the world.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, yeah, yeah, it's well now when I look at
it now, when I see this field that my reaction.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Is, why didn't they do it twenty years ago?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
In other words, this is such a such an easy thing,
especially when you activate the girls. When you say, and
by the way, this is a co ed league, when
you see them play, it's a wonderful thing to get
them activated. Fifty percent of the population now playing a
version of flag of American football.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Yeah, it's way easier.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
We were talking about that before. Alamos the get fail
who flats and understand most quat you know, pract porte yes,
squelas primia and tola those pots who are this sport.
It's pretty easy to play because you just need the
(13:38):
football flags and that's it, and a smaller space. And
you can do it in elementary, middle school everywhere to
to to play, even in the parks, in the in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It helps to to rise the game, know everywhere.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Yeah, now, when I think about it, before I started
playing concert football back in school during recess, we will
play a version.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Of in the backyard.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
It's kind of right organized.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yes, yes, we used to play in our street. There
were cars parked on the other side of the street
and we played with a tennis ball. There was no flag,
was just touched. I remember that there was contact. If
you went for a pass and you were not paying attention,
you would crash into the cars.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, and smash yourself bad.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
That can happen.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
So you could drop it.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
Like just to scurry you because they're not going to reach.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
So yeah, that's a savvy way to when when the game.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Now, new season coming up. Uh, lots of changes. Uh.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Some of the facers are the same, Uh, but the
people in charge of are different, but the expectations the same.
Let me ask you a question. I asked everybody the
same question, like the for people to be patient because
heard profile. Yes, you keep hearing the GMS talk about,
Oh I met this guy, talk to him ex pH
and plate he's a Steeler. What's a steeler? We don't
(15:04):
know what is a steeler? What traits need to happen
need to be put together in one person for that question,
fit into the team and fit into the culture. Because
it seems to be the same across ages. You asked
their monthy Dawson, and it's the same requirements from what
you've seen, you've been there now a couple of years.
What makes a Steeler a Steeler?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Or what would make someone not a Steeler?
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Right? Yeah, I hope I can articulate this way so
I can put the best version of a Steeler. But
I feel like, yeah, obviously there's to be a few traits.
I feel like number one if you go, if you
make a list, like number one has to be toughness,
because like that's something that's the Steelers pride themselves on
back back in the day, what was in the seventies eighties,
(15:50):
whenever the steel Curtain was developed, and I remember hearing
them say like if we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose
the game, but we're still gonna go out with the fight.
So I feel like number one, I feel like when
I think that's there's football's toughness too. Maybe together like teamwork,
like brothers, like family. That's why I know it's about
(16:11):
the organization, how mister Rooney likes it. It's a family organization. No,
if you're if you ever if a player walks through
the building, if it has the opportunity to it's because
they had the privilege to go to and not everyone's
invited to to be a steel So I feel like, yeah,
(16:32):
so it's like family, and third is just mm hmm,
what else? What else? We got another trade? There's there's
a lot of trades. I'm missing something.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But I've heard someone say that that you need to
like you need to live in the facility. In other words,
your life is football. You have really no other interests
that you're you're You're just that's what you want to do.
That whether you live in Pittsford or another city, it
doesn't matter because here I am if you give me
the chance, and all I want to do is learn
(17:05):
and go to the facility, practice, heal, whatever it has,
whatever you have to do. You live for football. You
have almost no distractions. That's all you live for.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah, I mean that could be true in some cases.
Everyone's different. Obviously, No it's the same, but I can't
speak for everyone. But I know that's how it is
for me, to be honest, like, there's nothing else I
want to do, like right now, it's just playing football.
Like I know, my life is very short. My football
life is very short, so I want to just maximize
it as much as I can. But I would say, yeah,
(17:37):
football is very important. Like you just look at the
just talk to the Steelers nation, especially in Pittsburgh. It's
just it's a die hard fans, so it's it's very serious.
It's taking very serious. Yeah, last.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Steeler you were mentioning about the toughness to be a
Steeler and you show it up undrafted.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
It was not easy.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Preseason. You got a great hit I remember in the
end the preseason pre season game, but you were in
Tampa and that transition to get back and obviously play
at home in Chicago for that game in November. How
was that part of your process to be part of
the team and your your first year experience.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yeah, my first year was kind of crazy. It was
like a lot of ups and downs of like not
making the National fifty three and then getting picked up
by the Bucks and then I had to move everywhere,
just like picking up my stuff and thinking that I
was gonna be with the Steers and I ended up
getting a place I had and stuff like that. It
(18:46):
was like, well, I wasn't ready for just moving everywhere,
meeting like meeting a new whole team, new culture, and
uh still it was very short. I was only there
for six maybe weeks and uh so learning that side
of the NFL. NFL it's uh, just being able to
adapt to new rooms, new people, what they want the
(19:10):
culture to look like. So this has been my third
coaching staff since being an NFL. So just seeing how
different teams go about it. And uh that's why I
learned different because I usually, like in high school college,
I've never like transferred. I was the same staff all
the time. So uh, that's why I'm learning. It was
it was. It can be hard, but it's that's all.
(19:30):
It is, just adapting learning.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
What's what's it? What's Patrick Graham's like as a person
and as a coach? What what what vibe does he
send out?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
What?
Speaker 3 (19:40):
What's he like?
Speaker 4 (19:41):
He's a players players coach, Like he like you can
talk to him. He's like just like he's a friend.
He feels like one of the players. But when it
comes to football, like here's a switch that he you
could tell he switches and it's very intense. Yeah, he's
just intend football coach. Def it's the coach and uh
(20:03):
how you want him? You know, Uh, he wants to
win and just like you were you would imagine, but
like he I like him. Let's say that I like him,
and I'm pat sure a lot of guys can fast
for him too.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
You know when you look at the ronthe dustin. He's
been here now, he says about five or six different times.
You understand that you're a Steeler and everybody around you
around here thinks that you're you're home. You realize that
your position is unique, that you could be a real
ambassador for football in general.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Uh in Mexico, the.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
World you're saying me in person, particularly personally. Yes, yeah,
I don't think I understand or see how big it is.
You know. Yeah, I really don't know. I'm kind of
naive about it, that's the word. But uh, yeah, I'm learning, Yes,
I'm learning, like I barely found out last year. I
guess how big the Steel's words was in Mexico. So
(20:56):
so I'm learning. I gotta working by Spanish. I got
so I can interact and uh yeah, being more involved
in it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
You know your mom speaks.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know my brother too, and I
don't know what happened because I grew up with my
grandparents and my mom and uh, my grandparents very speak
that much either, So I don't know what happened to me.
It just didn't stick. Oh, I just stopped speaking. I
know that's what they say. I just I just once
I went to school and everything to stop speaking. But
I got I could, I know a little bit enough,
like I know what you were saying. But it's just
(21:26):
the speaking is not as hard. I don't know why
it's like that. The speaking is always harder than.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
You will need to watch morteal and novel presenting for
the sting.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Did you watch that?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
I mean not by choice. Yeah, they always my grandma
always had my mom always had it.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Yeah, so I don't even know the names of him childs,
but I know they always had it. So I was
just it was always in the back.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well listen when wen't let you go? So the kids
really want to see you.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Thank you so much for joining us all the best
this year, and we hope to see you back in
Mexico soon enough.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Okay, yeah me too. It was a good time.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
East of Way the podcast to Look and Are Sorello
Spittsburg Steelers and the podcast of CIL the Loos Spittsburg Steelers.
No be the subscribe I'll podcast of CIL the Loos
Spatsburg Steelers Hers t's Commentarios and Robertos Steelers podcast con
(22:32):
Albaro Martin yea two of Carlos
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