March 11, 2025 • 9 mins
Tight End John Bates talks with Bryan Colbert Jr. about re-signing with the Washington Commanders.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's good command this family.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is next man up, but a special next man
up because we signed another guy.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Man. We brought somebody back in. John Bates just got
the bag. John. Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Then yeah, I thank you man. We're excited to be
back here again for three more years. So this is
just super grateful and like blessed to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And this is just so cool because you guys can't
see it in the background, but his wife's.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Here, his daughter's here, his next new boy on the
way is here as well.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
He has the whole family. Hits appointing you. Brother. This
is such a big moment because.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Outside of your rookie deal, you have never actually got
to put pen to paper like this. How special was
that moment, especially being able to share with your family.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, it's truly special. Like you get to the NFL
and you hear all these things like three years as
the average get into the NFL, and a lot of
guys get in and they get out and it doesn't
pan out. So like for me to be able to
make it to a second contract, it means the world
because it means that you're doing stuff right and that
you've been able to prove yourself in this league and
to this team and organization, and so means the world
(01:00):
to me. Man, it's a dream come true to be
where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
You've got to have a little extra motivation as well.
I mean your daughter, I think what sixteen months she
just got here. Man, you were a new dad coming
into this season. Man, how did having this family support
and having this here with you, this cornerstone behind you
help you get to this point?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It means the world.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Like my wife, she's we've been together since high school,
so we're coming up on ten years being together.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And like she has supported me throughout this entire Jersey
journey and like just has been so understanding of the
entire process and how things works. And she gives me
the freedom to come in here and like do what
I do and come home and like she's just so
supportive and has my back no matter what. And so
it means the world to have my family here and
to support me through all of it.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And yeah, man, it can't be easy, especially like you're
coming in. There's not a lot of people that came
in and stayed from the last regime, but you are
one of them. So you're coming into this season, having
to prove yourself, not really knowing what your spot is,
not knowing where this coaching staff values you. Seemed as
if they've value you very very high.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Man.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What was last season like being able to come in here,
earn your spot and get the respect of.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
This new coaching staff and ownership.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, it felt good. And I think the cool thing
about like with everyone do coming in is that there
can be some It can be a little bit scary
for a player in my position, But I feel like
the thing that I did is just stay true to myself.
I didn't want to waiver, try to kiss ass or
do anything like that. I just wanted to be my true,
authentic self, show them the type of person and player
(02:30):
I was on the field and off the field. And
I think when you can stay true to yourself, you
know good things can happen.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I mean, John, that's easier said than done, because even
last year, coming into a year, you know it spend
a high pick on a tight end. So you got
a rookie coming in, you have a zach Ertz future
Hall of Famer coming in.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Nothing is promised when you came into this building.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Let's talk about that leadership standpoint because you haven't been
in a position where you have a lot of younger
guys under you. Now you're kind of the veteran of
the older states. How were you able to fill that
world be a leader and help a young Ben senate
get comfortable in this first year in NFL.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, Man, I think being in the position that I
am now and last year, it's kind of all about perspective.
Like you go back to your rookie year and like
I had Logan Thomas, who is like my veteran mentor,
and seeing the way that he approached things with me
being like a draft pick and stuff like that, and
just having the patience and be willing to help because
(03:21):
at the end of the day, like our goal here
is to win games, right, and so no matter what
it takes, like helping out teammates, like no matter what
your role, like, you want to do whatever you possibly
can to help bring everyone else along to help uplift
the team. And so that's kind of the approach that
like I've taken, is just the perspective of like what
would I want or like what did I experience as
(03:41):
a rookie and take those things and kind of apply
it to the younger guys and.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
The learning doesn't stop right and coming in and then
you get a guy like we said, zach Ertz, that
future Hall of Famer, and he has nothing but great
things to say about You talk about zach Ertz a
little bit and how him coming into this locker room
impacted you in your career.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, man, I think the thing about being around Zach
is just like the true professionalism day in and day out.
I mean when you talk about like a regimented guy
and a guy that doesn't wander off course of what
it takes to go out there and perform like every Sunday,
Like that's one of the biggest things I've taken away
from him. It's just like the way he goes about
(04:20):
the process of treatment, recovery, weightlifting, the way he takes
care of his body with eating, his film prep all
that stuff, and it shows on Sundays. He goes out
there and he balls out and he does this thing,
and so like, I got nothing but respect for Zach
and what he's done and just like a true pros pro.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And he has little of a respect for you. Man.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
He came here has that maybe about an hour ago
he said, you are the best blocking tight end in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
A little small because it's okay to be happy about that.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Man, when you hear something like that, because I've heard
Logan Paulson say it, I've seen it on Twitter, I've
heard other analysis say it. When you hear that and
you're getting that respect after everything you've been through, man,
what does that mean to you?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
It means it really does mean the world. Like I
put my art and soul into this thing, like like
so much intentionality on the field with what I do
and everything I do, and so you know, for the
work to be put in throughout the off season, training camp,
throughout the season, the whole season, and for it to
come to fruition like on the field. You know, it's
(05:18):
a really cool deal to to have people saying that
about you.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
So and to have that designation of blocking tight end
because yes, you've got hands, but it's that blocking that
really separates you from other tight ends. That's not an
easy job. Man, You're going to get defensive. It's a
lot of these massive dudes. Where does that grit come from?
Where does that grind come from? To be able to
go out there, put that chin strap up and just
get to business.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah. I think it's just like a mentality. Like since
I was a kid, I've loved the game of football,
but the physicality part of it, for whatever reason, it
is the part that is like drawn me back and
like kept me so connected to the game and like
wanting to continue to get better. So I just love
moving people around, like putting my hands on like people
and just like moving dudes from point A to point
(06:00):
B and so that. And I think it's just the
mentality behind it. You know, you gotta it's it's not
meant for everyone, and I think you just gotta take
that mental approach every single day that what you're gonna
do is special and it's and it's dirty, but I
love it. So yeah, man, it's a really cool deal
and love I take. I take tremendous pride in that
(06:21):
that role.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And how do you flip that switch? Though?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Because you come in man, you calm, you're cool, You
get a family, guy, you got a daughter, you're just
then you light up when you look at her.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
But then when you're on that field, something switches. Yeah,
it flips, man.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
How do you switch there? Or is this just something
just innate that just happens And it's always heavy.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I think it's just one of those things that, like now,
it kind of just happens, like you get kind of
get in the process of things like pregame routine. Then
like it hits a certain point in pregame where it's
like you're about to go hit the field, and it's like, yeah,
it's going on now. So I mean, you just flip
that switch as soon as you hit the field. I
mean it's it's the competitor in us that really takes
(06:58):
over and the idea of I'm not gonna let my
guy beat me, and I want to beat him every
single time I go one on one with someone.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You talk about that motivation to get that second contract.
You see a lot of guys three or four years
they're done. Now you have that second contract. Now, what's
the goal? Now, what's the motivation? What are the goals
for John Bates hitting into this He's in the rest
of your career.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, man, I think the biggest thing, and I've said
this a lot, is just keep improving year after year.
Find ways that you can improve on, whether it be
you know, the run game, the past game, off the field,
stuff in the training room, in the weight room, nutrition,
And so I think that's the biggest thing for me
right now is just continuing to show improvement every single
year because I feel like I still have a lot
(07:40):
that I can continue to get better at and to show.
And so that's kind of like a personal standpoint, And
then obviously I think the big one is to bring
a championship back to Washington. So, man, I'm just like
so excited to be here and like be a part
of this team and this organization and like just so
fired up.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Man, We're so fired up till you talk about that championship.
And it's crazy to think that we can have that
conversation now because we were almost there and now you're
getting a second year in this Cliff Kingsbury office. You
didn't really know what was gonna be like last year,
but now you have an idea. What are the benefits
to being able to run it back with the same
offensive coordinator, same quarterback, and really the same tide end room.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Man, it makes a huge difference from a chemistry standpoint alone,
Like now that we have a group of guys that
have been together for a year and understand each other
and the way we operate and the way we do
things and just an understanding of the playbook too. It
makes going into year two and OTAs and training camp
like so much quicker, so much, you know, less having
(08:38):
to wait on people to catch up. Everyone's kind of
caught up at this point now and we can kind
of just hit the road going. And so you know,
it makes a huge difference going into you two with
having so many guys back.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Man, we're excited to see you hit the ground running.
So I'm will go let you go because little ladies,
let us know us.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
About that time. It's about that time if you can give.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Us looking at iceol cam right there, because the fans, man,
they're so excited to have you back.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Can you just give message to the best fans in
the NFL.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Yeah, Man, Commanders fans man, like, we're so stoked to
be back here. We got a team of guys that
are motivated, especially you know, after last season, and we
want to win and we want to bring a championship
back to Washington. So so so thankful for your guys
support man, and we're going to keep on working our
butts off for you guys. So helps the Commanders.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Bringing the champions check back to Washington. We all could
get behind that. We all love that. John.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Congratulations man. This is a big deal. Man, so great
to see you and your family here. Man, I can't
wait to hear all about the success you have coming
in the future. John, appreciate command is family. This is
next man up with our resigning tight end. John dates
brother got the bag.
What's good command this family.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is next man up, but a special next man
up because we signed another guy.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Man. We brought somebody back in. John Bates just got
the bag. John. Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Then yeah, I thank you man. We're excited to be
back here again for three more years. So this is
just super grateful and like blessed to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And this is just so cool because you guys can't
see it in the background, but his wife's.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Here, his daughter's here, his next new boy on the
way is here as well.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
He has the whole family. Hits appointing you. Brother. This
is such a big moment because.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Outside of your rookie deal, you have never actually got
to put pen to paper like this. How special was
that moment, especially being able to share with your family.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, it's truly special. Like you get to the NFL
and you hear all these things like three years as
the average get into the NFL, and a lot of
guys get in and they get out and it doesn't
pan out. So like for me to be able to
make it to a second contract, it means the world
because it means that you're doing stuff right and that
you've been able to prove yourself in this league and
to this team and organization, and so means the world
(01:00):
to me. Man, it's a dream come true to be
where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
You've got to have a little extra motivation as well.
I mean your daughter, I think what sixteen months she
just got here. Man, you were a new dad coming
into this season. Man, how did having this family support
and having this here with you, this cornerstone behind you
help you get to this point?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It means the world.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Like my wife, she's we've been together since high school,
so we're coming up on ten years being together.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And like she has supported me throughout this entire Jersey
journey and like just has been so understanding of the
entire process and how things works. And she gives me
the freedom to come in here and like do what
I do and come home and like she's just so
supportive and has my back no matter what. And so
it means the world to have my family here and
to support me through all of it.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And yeah, man, it can't be easy, especially like you're
coming in. There's not a lot of people that came
in and stayed from the last regime, but you are
one of them. So you're coming into this season, having
to prove yourself, not really knowing what your spot is,
not knowing where this coaching staff values you. Seemed as
if they've value you very very high.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Man.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What was last season like being able to come in here,
earn your spot and get the respect of.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
This new coaching staff and ownership.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, it felt good. And I think the cool thing
about like with everyone do coming in is that there
can be some It can be a little bit scary
for a player in my position, But I feel like
the thing that I did is just stay true to myself.
I didn't want to waiver, try to kiss ass or
do anything like that. I just wanted to be my true,
authentic self, show them the type of person and player
(02:30):
I was on the field and off the field. And
I think when you can stay true to yourself, you
know good things can happen.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I mean, John, that's easier said than done, because even
last year, coming into a year, you know it spend
a high pick on a tight end. So you got
a rookie coming in, you have a zach Ertz future
Hall of Famer coming in.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Nothing is promised when you came into this building.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Let's talk about that leadership standpoint because you haven't been
in a position where you have a lot of younger
guys under you. Now you're kind of the veteran of
the older states. How were you able to fill that
world be a leader and help a young Ben senate
get comfortable in this first year in NFL.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, Man, I think being in the position that I
am now and last year, it's kind of all about perspective.
Like you go back to your rookie year and like
I had Logan Thomas, who is like my veteran mentor,
and seeing the way that he approached things with me
being like a draft pick and stuff like that, and
just having the patience and be willing to help because
(03:21):
at the end of the day, like our goal here
is to win games, right, and so no matter what
it takes, like helping out teammates, like no matter what
your role, like, you want to do whatever you possibly
can to help bring everyone else along to help uplift
the team. And so that's kind of the approach that
like I've taken, is just the perspective of like what
would I want or like what did I experience as
(03:41):
a rookie and take those things and kind of apply
it to the younger guys and.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
The learning doesn't stop right and coming in and then
you get a guy like we said, zach Ertz, that
future Hall of Famer, and he has nothing but great
things to say about You talk about zach Ertz a
little bit and how him coming into this locker room
impacted you in your career.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, man, I think the thing about being around Zach
is just like the true professionalism day in and day out.
I mean when you talk about like a regimented guy
and a guy that doesn't wander off course of what
it takes to go out there and perform like every Sunday,
Like that's one of the biggest things I've taken away
from him. It's just like the way he goes about
(04:20):
the process of treatment, recovery, weightlifting, the way he takes
care of his body with eating, his film prep all
that stuff, and it shows on Sundays. He goes out
there and he balls out and he does this thing,
and so like, I got nothing but respect for Zach
and what he's done and just like a true pros pro.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And he has little of a respect for you. Man.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
He came here has that maybe about an hour ago
he said, you are the best blocking tight end in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
A little small because it's okay to be happy about that.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Man, when you hear something like that, because I've heard
Logan Paulson say it, I've seen it on Twitter, I've
heard other analysis say it. When you hear that and
you're getting that respect after everything you've been through, man,
what does that mean to you?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
It means it really does mean the world. Like I
put my art and soul into this thing, like like
so much intentionality on the field with what I do
and everything I do, and so you know, for the
work to be put in throughout the off season, training camp,
throughout the season, the whole season, and for it to
come to fruition like on the field. You know, it's
(05:18):
a really cool deal to to have people saying that
about you.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
So and to have that designation of blocking tight end
because yes, you've got hands, but it's that blocking that
really separates you from other tight ends. That's not an
easy job. Man, You're going to get defensive. It's a
lot of these massive dudes. Where does that grit come from?
Where does that grind come from? To be able to
go out there, put that chin strap up and just
get to business.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah. I think it's just like a mentality. Like since
I was a kid, I've loved the game of football,
but the physicality part of it, for whatever reason, it
is the part that is like drawn me back and
like kept me so connected to the game and like
wanting to continue to get better. So I just love
moving people around, like putting my hands on like people
and just like moving dudes from point A to point
(06:00):
B and so that. And I think it's just the
mentality behind it. You know, you gotta it's it's not
meant for everyone, and I think you just gotta take
that mental approach every single day that what you're gonna
do is special and it's and it's dirty, but I
love it. So yeah, man, it's a really cool deal
and love I take. I take tremendous pride in that
(06:21):
that role.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
And how do you flip that switch? Though?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Because you come in man, you calm, you're cool, You
get a family, guy, you got a daughter, you're just
then you light up when you look at her.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
But then when you're on that field, something switches. Yeah,
it flips, man.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
How do you switch there? Or is this just something
just innate that just happens And it's always heavy.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I think it's just one of those things that, like now,
it kind of just happens, like you get kind of
get in the process of things like pregame routine. Then
like it hits a certain point in pregame where it's
like you're about to go hit the field, and it's like, yeah,
it's going on now. So I mean, you just flip
that switch as soon as you hit the field. I
mean it's it's the competitor in us that really takes
(06:58):
over and the idea of I'm not gonna let my
guy beat me, and I want to beat him every
single time I go one on one with someone.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You talk about that motivation to get that second contract.
You see a lot of guys three or four years
they're done. Now you have that second contract. Now, what's
the goal? Now, what's the motivation? What are the goals
for John Bates hitting into this He's in the rest
of your career.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, man, I think the biggest thing, and I've said
this a lot, is just keep improving year after year.
Find ways that you can improve on, whether it be
you know, the run game, the past game, off the field,
stuff in the training room, in the weight room, nutrition,
And so I think that's the biggest thing for me
right now is just continuing to show improvement every single
year because I feel like I still have a lot
(07:40):
that I can continue to get better at and to show.
And so that's kind of like a personal standpoint, And
then obviously I think the big one is to bring
a championship back to Washington. So, man, I'm just like
so excited to be here and like be a part
of this team and this organization and like just so
fired up.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Man, We're so fired up till you talk about that championship.
And it's crazy to think that we can have that
conversation now because we were almost there and now you're
getting a second year in this Cliff Kingsbury office. You
didn't really know what was gonna be like last year,
but now you have an idea. What are the benefits
to being able to run it back with the same
offensive coordinator, same quarterback, and really the same tide end room.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Man, it makes a huge difference from a chemistry standpoint alone,
Like now that we have a group of guys that
have been together for a year and understand each other
and the way we operate and the way we do
things and just an understanding of the playbook too. It
makes going into year two and OTAs and training camp
like so much quicker, so much, you know, less having
(08:38):
to wait on people to catch up. Everyone's kind of
caught up at this point now and we can kind
of just hit the road going. And so you know,
it makes a huge difference going into you two with
having so many guys back.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Man, we're excited to see you hit the ground running.
So I'm will go let you go because little ladies,
let us know us.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
About that time. It's about that time if you can give.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Us looking at iceol cam right there, because the fans, man,
they're so excited to have you back.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Can you just give message to the best fans in
the NFL.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
Yeah, Man, Commanders fans man, like, we're so stoked to
be back here. We got a team of guys that
are motivated, especially you know, after last season, and we
want to win and we want to bring a championship
back to Washington. So so so thankful for your guys
support man, and we're going to keep on working our
butts off for you guys. So helps the Commanders.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Bringing the champions check back to Washington. We all could
get behind that. We all love that. John.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Congratulations man. This is a big deal. Man, so great
to see you and your family here. Man, I can't
wait to hear all about the success you have coming
in the future. John, appreciate command is family. This is
next man up with our resigning tight end. John dates
brother got the bag.
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