September 11, 2024 • 58 mins
Host Rodney McLeod has Dustin Hopkins, Corey Bojorquez, and Charley Hughlett join this episode of Dawgs Only to talk about what led them to the NFL, how they deal with pressure as specialists, and how support from family is key!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Dolls. On the podcast is O g Rod.
I'm very excited. I got my big three here with
me today, Charlie, Corey and d Hop the specialists, our
big three.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I like that.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Come on, I've never heard that one, but it might be.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Walking up.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Let's kick things off, man, how was the how was
the off season?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good? Good man?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Any special tricks?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No, man.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
We we get back down to Florida, and uh, once
we get the kids backed up and settled, man, we're there.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
We don't. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
It's it's a hassle, you know, it's it's a it's
a whole thing trying to get kids on a plane
going somewhere. So we're just happy to be home and
enjoy the family, enjoy the friends down there, and we're
just we get settled.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
Well, we just got to play something Denver, so we
were busy setting that up. Went out to Hawaii like
we do every summer. Go visit some family, all right,
both sides of new home, new money. We'll get on
that later, no worries.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
And then uh we just we laid pretty low too.
We had a baby. We laid low. My wife's like, yeah,
I was doing some work there, you know. But uh yeah,
we had we have babies, shoot five months and some
change now, so that kept me busy, you know what
I'm saying. And then uh, we did one of those
kind of rough kids like a four day trip where
(01:32):
travel was you know, not the best.
Speaker 6 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it was good, it was good.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Your your go ahead.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
We actually did we we did take a trip I
forgot we we went to Arizona, so we did the
union meetings out there, and we brought the kids and
we took them much of the Grand Canyon and uh,
it's about three and a half hours north of where
we were at Scottsdale, and we we took all all
three of them up there, got there and realized there
was there was no guardrails.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So my daughter's trying to run away. I'm trying to
snag her hand.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
We ended up having to strap up the little one
on my wife's back and put her in the stroller.
She's four and way too tall for the stroller, but
I had to just strap her up because she was
about to freaking run run off the edge of that thing.
And she just kept saying, well, Dad, you'll come get me.
And I'm like I don't know if there's any come
getting you there. It's like a two mile drop or
whatever it is. It was terrifying. So yeah, word, do
the wise with your kids a little older taking.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
The Grand Canyon.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, see, I just stepped into fatherhood, right, baby girls.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Two months to date, let's go.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, but those flights kind of had up a little
bit right at the age two, I hear.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, yeah, when they're when they're real young, they tend
to just sleep on you.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
Yeah, it's like I say, it's like one and a
half two, they start getting a little more active. Like,
for instance, to Arizona. My youngest was around one and
a half and he was at that screeching phase where
he was just screeching the entire time. He did the
entire flight four and a half five hours. Felt bad
for everybody around us, but it just was what it was.
We couldn't do anything about it. The other two they're
at the age where you give some snacks in the
(03:07):
coloring book.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
They're they're good.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But yeah, no, the young time, they're good to go.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, the youngest was, he was brutal in that way.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Right, Yeah, max it out.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
I got an example for you ready, This is this
past trip. I mentioned I'm not very confrontational person in general.
I will if I have to, but I'm not really confrontational.
We get on the plane and one of the first
ones on there, I'm holding the baby. He's crying like loudly.
My oldest is having a tough time in the seat too,
So we're making as a family, We're making a lot
(03:39):
of noise.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
They haven't, I don't. I don't know if y'all have
noticed this there recently. I feel like planes are hotter
than they've ever been. Step on, like there needs to
be a regulation. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sweating my
shirt out. We got babies crying, and I'm like bouncing
to try to like and it's it's not helping, but
I'm just like sticking with it. Maybe it'll eventually. And
a guy slides in in front of me and he
(04:03):
turns to somebody next to him. He's like, loudly, it
was like, it's gonna be a long flight, huh. And
I was like, I guess dad mode clicked on. I
was like, hey, hey, it's not too late. Now's the
time where it was? It was on a an airline
that you could choose your seat.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
We're not signed.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
So I was like, hey, it's not too late, buddy.
I was like, move now, because it might be a
long flight, but you have a choice right now. You're
not going to hurt our feelings if we choose to move,
you know. So it's like one of those moments where
it's like you're you're just you're sweating, you're tired, your
dad and you're like, hey, make the decision.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, you know, if you want to hold road to yourself,
bring the child.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah it was. It was a family
of four one row.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah, lovely, lovely.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
So we're on the topic of obviously fatherhood and you know,
when to miss a training camp right now, we all
know the daily grind, the physicality that exists for training camp.
It's very challenging on us. But as fathers, right and
as you go off into training camp or even throughout
(05:05):
the season, how hard is it during those days where
you're counting down to that moment where you have to report,
or even just throughout the season when you leave your
home and that time is now lost. You know, as
fathers and those moments we all chairish we unfortunately, miss,
(05:26):
So talk to us a little bit about how you
guys have dealt with that and how does it feel
for you now.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
I mean it's definitely difficult. I mean, you know, packing up,
leaving your family. I mean, you know, now that we're older,
camps a little different. We get to go home at night,
you know, once we're back. But honestly, I would argue
it's harder on the moms, you know. I mean they're
they're they're grunting.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
All by themselves, all by themselves.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
And you know, I'm Facetimer trying to FaceTime at least
twice a day, you know, talk to her and just
get her mind off things a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
But yeah, it's a challenge, man.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
She's got three on her own, trying to keep them
all entertained, keep them all from cracking their head open
on the floor.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Like it's that's that's a job, dude.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
Yeah, yeah, I mean me, I definitely try to take
advantage of the off season, you know, when I'm maybe
taking an hour or two out of the day to
just go work out, kick do whatever. And the rest
of the time, I'm just I'm a dad, you know,
nothing else matters, and it's also time for my wife
to have a little bit of a break because during
training camp in season, like she's the one that handles
(06:26):
the baby, you know, especially like at night if she
wakes up, like she always handles it, so I can
be rusted up to go to work and stuff. How
she does it, couldn't tell you. You know, it's off
days during the season is my day to be, you know,
my dad or be the dad, and she gets to
go out and do whatever, and it is. It's exhausting. Honestly,
I give her a lot of praise. And you guys
(06:48):
with multiple kids, I mean.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
The wives are built different, man. The level of patience,
it's there. They're built differently.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Come, let's give them the praise.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Like I sure with y'all yesterday is like, man, the
amount of sacrifice that moms have to go through physically
one and then mentally and emotionally. I think it's just
a different type of load than we have to take
on as fathers in a lot of different ways. So yeah, hey,
thank you. I think I speak for all of us,
thank y'all back at home.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Absolutely, when women, I mean, they they're superheroes. Moms are superheroes.
I've I've gained a deeper level of respect for all
moms after witnessing you.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Know what I observe for.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
You know, over the course of these ten months up
until you know that that date, and even now just
seeing how much they have to they have to sacrifice
and the job is never over, right, this is something
it's a full time jobs that we've all signed up for,
but even more so in this in this profession, right
(08:02):
that most of the time it takes up you know,
we're away and now the responsibility.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Lies on these women and our wives.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So I think it's important for you to get the
right teammate, right, like the right teammate, because not every
woman understands what is required and what's asked of us,
you know, as an athlete, and how much they truly
(08:35):
have to give and be very respectful of you know,
our time, responsibilities in day to day so you know oursolute,
you know our wives, you know, for for being that
backbone for us, you know when we need them. And honestly,
and I would say, probably the best teammate that i've
you know, I've had to date.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
That's right answer, You're absolutely right, man, I tell guys,
younger guys they'll ask me when they find out I've
been married for a while, like so you know, they're
asked a questions about marriage and I'm like, man, when
you find the right woman, and like, thank the Lord
I have, it's the best decision I've ever made outside
of become a believer. It's like, it's it's the best
(09:19):
decision you can make, is what I tell guys. I
was like, but if you find the wrong one, it
could be one of the worst worst decisions you've ever made,
you know.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
So it makes it breaks your life.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
Man, It's the most important decision you make in your life,
like as your partner for.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Life, you know, so.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
No, like who you settle down with, Like that's that's
the key to your happiness.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Man.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
Like you guys ask me about that all the time too,
And they're like, you know, the lialion, like ask what
it's like to have kids, And I'm like, you know,
would you recommend having kids young?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Waiting a little bit like whatever, And I'm like.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Well, that's, you know, obviously up to you, but I
will tell you, like, does not make this job any easier,
Like you know, we've we've got to we've got to
sleep at night. You know, that's when we you know,
recover and when you've got an infant man like.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
A sleep it's not always there.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And I don't know about y'all, but I've never slept
the same since I've had kids, Like even now that
we're not really in the infant stage anymore, like it
never went back. Like I'm still like just like alert,
like I'll hear some little noise like I'm up and
uh yeah. It's just from that aspect alone definitely makes
the job a little a little bit more difficult.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
So, uh, you know, we've obviously were on the subject
of ball and for a lot of viewers, they may
not know you guys journey. You know, you can give
us a little snapshot to share as much as you
want or as little, uh, but just tell us how
did you, guys arrive.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
To where you are today?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Have you?
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Have you always dreamt of being an NFL kicker, punter,
long snapper, like, tell us tell us about tell us
about your your your football journey.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
So I started playing football on I was eight. I
don't ever remember a time where I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Like love football like I've always been obsessed with it.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
I grew up watching my cousins play like I think
that's kind of what spurred it in my head, but
that's like before I even have memory, so it's just
always been in my head. Grew up, I was a
tight end, played through high school as a tight end.
Played a little bit of center my senior year but
mostly mostly tight end. Went to college, went to UCF
sort of snapping my junior year, just kind of as
(11:30):
like a side gig, you know. And when I went
to UCF as a walk on, you know, is be
backup tight end, backup snapper like whatever. But like two
weeks before freshman camp, our snapper who was our snapper
had graduated the year before, so the rising junior it
was going to slight it. Slater to be the snapper
kind of just quit, like quit the team. Not sure
(11:53):
what happened. So there's an open spot and they asked
me to go out for it. Ended up getting it,
and then kind of once I got that that spot,
coach called me in, So you're not gonna play tighten anymore.
You're gonna be our scholarship snapper. So that was kind
of how that worked out. I was just happy to
have a scholarship so that I was cool with it,
but yeah, and then then from there just kind of
(12:15):
took off.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Certainly. Never never thought I would be in the league,
that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
So walk on from college.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I've read something that said you also had a you
had an offer from Brown?
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (12:27):
So I I uh, I got recruited by a lot
of one double A schools and Brown was one of
the ones that came knocking on the door. As soon
as I figured out they didn't give out scholarships and
how expensive that school was kind of kind of exit
off for me. But yeah, no, I mean that that
would have been really cool obviously, but I don't think
(12:49):
I would have been a snapper there, So I think
it ended up working out.
Speaker 6 (12:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Everything, Yeah, everything works out of the way it is
supposed to. How how was that as as a as
a walk on in college? What was that experience?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Like, well, I was only a walk on, I guess
for like my summer, first summer semester, so I kind of.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I quickly got a scholarship.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
So it's different though, Like I remember like definitely feeling
a little inferior, like you kind of had to have
like a prove it mentality. You were always like comparing
yourself to the guys that had scholarships, and uh, yeah,
you just wanted to be one of those guys, Like
I remember just like wanting to get a scholarship. That
was only my only thought. And then once once kind
of that opportunity or you know, arrived to take the
(13:34):
snapper route, I was just happy to do it. Like
I was happy to get on scholarship and not have to,
you know, take on debt or put that on my
parents or whatever, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
So I was happy to do it.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
And I ask a follow up question, I know this
is your at one point you said you never thought
you'd be in the league. I interest you this. At
one point did you think that You're like, oh, I
got a shot.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Like it was it was like spring going into my
senior year. We had it.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
We had a really good punter who played in the
league for a couple of years, and we had a scout.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
The scout was just over there watching me snap and
him punt.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
And I remember thinking like, oh, he's just watching the punter,
you know, And my buddy like tapped me and he's like, no,
he's watching you. He's timing your snaps. He's watching you
and I was like, no, he's not. He figured out
he was, you know, So that that kind of like
opened my eyes.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I was like, oh, shoot, like this I might have
a chance to do this.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
And at the time, I was just like trying to
get through school on scholarship, and my plan at the
time was good to dental school. So I was like,
you know, studying up for my exams and trying to
make good grades and everything. And you know, over the
next couple of months, I kind of realized like that
that plan was going to be pushed back a little bit.
So I was gonna see how long football would football
(14:48):
would take me?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
So we are thirty years later, he'd be a big
dentist man.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Yeah, everybody said that. It was kind of the family occupations.
Uh decided I'll just kind of follow in the footsteps.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, So as a long snapper right in the NFL,
like what are teams looking for when as a long snapper?
Like what what are the keys to to success? And
for you having as long as his career as you have, right,
like what separates you from from the rest?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
I mean obviously like accuracy, you know, and and the
balls got to get there in a certain amount of time,
So you gotta be accurate. It's got to be relatively fast,
not too fast, because that, you know, tends to freaks
some punters out. But I would say the next thing
is probably protection, Like you got to be able to block,
like you can't. You can't just be getting run over.
You're gonna get punts blocked, field goal is blocked, whatever
it is. So you gotta be able to block. You
(15:48):
gotta be able to cover decently.
Speaker 6 (15:49):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Some guys cover better than others.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
What would you rate what would you rate your coverage?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Man, I'm gonna put myself right in the middle, right
in the middle.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
But it's tight end. But the tight end, the tight
end back.
Speaker 7 (16:02):
Oh, we got a special special guests, special special guests.
We were just talking about tight ends too, right, the
back of the tight end.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Uh, background that you had allows you to be able
to block an elite level.
Speaker 8 (16:19):
Yeah, I just came when I heard that he was
going to be a dentist. That's kind of probably one
of the scariest everything.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
Yeah, I think, uh yeah, I think it's a good
thing that that football worked out.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
I mean, it's not too late, but.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
It is too late.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Man, I'm thirty four years old schools four years now.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
It's too late.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
It's never, it's never really too late.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
And Pa pa Pa covered that tuition.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
You know, man, what's good? So you appreciate you Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You're doing right, but this is life. You lose your shirt?
Speaker 6 (16:56):
Yeah on baby, Yeah I found it.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Oh got what you got?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
What you got for words? Gift? I was.
Speaker 8 (17:05):
I just finished Oxygen right and I saw Dom and
he told me about this great podcast that you have,
and I was like, I gotta come.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Come on, come on, you know what I mean. Yeah,
So we're gonna get it. We're gonna get a special
one on one with David and Joku. Is that coming up?
Is that is that soon?
Speaker 6 (17:22):
You're the boss? You telling me to do and I'm
doing all right?
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Maybe thirty thirty? I know part of it, you know
when I got hurt day was trying to come in
and kick a little bit.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I'm gonna try cup Cub, I'm gonna try it.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
So maybe that's I forgot about that.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Kevin wasn't having it though.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Kick I'm strong, let me con that's a point in
your mind.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I don't know why, Like I can kick and there
might be some room for you this year a zoo.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
But I can definitely kick. And if it's a hup
of team, I'm all for it, you know, because this
is great.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We're looking we're looking for somebody, you know, potentially the
new kickoff rules and everything. You could be that guy.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
To do, to do what you said, kick or kick.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, and then and they gonna make the tackle. I'm
an office of guy all the way time.
Speaker 6 (18:15):
My whole you offers a guy whatever offense.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
But I see you wrestle. I see you wrestle in the.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
Locker when when I get mad, but I'm not mad
at all the time.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
Don't get me mad. Don't do that.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
I can I can tell you're gonna push your buttons
noctually coming all right, you huh?
Speaker 4 (18:35):
I mean we got space.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
There's no room here.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
For sure. No thanks for having me.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
I just wanted to come by and say hi to
the guys and to the fans, beautiful fans.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Yeah yeah, come on, man, that's blessing the pleasure, all right,
you know, new knewest.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
We got some competition, you got some competition.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Hey, let me keep this job, all right, let me
have this. I'll let you keep that in Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
All right now. We were on the Cory your journey.
I don't recommend this route. Okay, it's not for not
growing up no interest in football. I played baseball. That
was my thing, huge Dodgers fan, That's what I.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
Wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Position.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
I was kind of all over end of my playing
at like thirteen, you know, I was centerfield. You know,
I was the I would argue the best hitter on
the team at the time. But uh yeah, just got
burnt out. Wasn't doing it anymore. Just started playing soccer
after that again, like I did when I was younger,
going into high school, playing soccer my sophomore year. After
(20:01):
the season, we're basically just conditioning, getting ready for the
next season, and I'm not having it. I don't like
to run, you know, well I'm kicking the ball sure.
Besides that, I don't run. Hence why I'm a punter.
I don't have to do anything. And the punter at
the time was graduating. He was top two three in
the country, you know, real good punter. And they had
(20:23):
an open spot and usually, you know, they always come
out the soccer team who wants to kick and punt,
And so I was like, you know, I talked to
my coach, can I get out of practice to go
do this? And he was like sure, that was the
end of it. I don't have to run anymore and
I can just go kick a ball. So training with
him for a couple of months, got the job and
never looked back.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
You know, I know, well, I know the process. Was
it just a straight line, you know, to to where
you are right now?
Speaker 6 (20:50):
Yeah, I almost stopped playing a couple of times. Coming
out of high school. I was all state my senior
year and was going to go to Sacramento State, you know,
somewhat you know, six hours away or so, kind of
close to home, not too bad. But cal Pauly sam
Luis Obispo also had some interest and they're real good
engineering school and that's kind of what I wanted to
(21:11):
go to school for. Uh So, towards end of my
senior year, you know, I called Sacramento State. I'm like, hey, sorry,
like I'm going you know, not even football reasons, just
education wise. I want to go here for engineering. And
they're like, cool, we get it, no worries, you know,
it's just a preferred walk on. So it wasn't a
big deal. I think it was two or three days
before I graduated high school, We're having our senior farewell
assembly and I get a call from a coach at
(21:32):
cal Pauly. So I step outside real quick, get on
the phone. Hey man, what's up. How's it going? And
he's like, hey, buddy, here's the thing. Roster's full. We
can't have you come out anymore, like spots taken. Sorry, Bud,
go to a junior college or something. We'll get you
at the semester. You know, Like all right, so go
to junior college. Freshman year terrible, wasn't good, reach out
(21:54):
to the coach. Nothing, never hear back. They call it
ghosted me. Yeah, first of many and and uh they
scholarship some other kid, you know, and it was just
kind of left hang, you know basically, And you know,
we had a pretty good junior college. You know DJ
Reid places for the Jets. We were teammates there. Uh
(22:15):
Kyle Peckoh, he's a d lineman I think with the Broncos.
Now maybe you know he went there, so you know,
it's a good program. So if you know what these
other guys are getting, looks someone will see me. No
big deal. Uh, USC comes out before my sophomore season,
and I had your offensive coordinator tells the scout like,
this kid's gonna be an All American punter. You guys
(22:35):
are gonna have a next year. And I was like, yo,
us C, like let's go, Like that'd be sweet. Go out.
End up being an All American that season. Uh, reached
him out to him nothing the scholarship, some Australian kid
who ended up losing his job the next season to
walk on freshman. Uh. And it you know, there's this
nothing I had to offer from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Uh,
(22:58):
New Mexico where I ended up going, and then Indiana State.
Speaker 8 (23:02):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
And you know I was expecting a little bit. I
guess bigger schools just with what I had done. You know,
maybe my ego was just a little big and I
didn't realize it. Uh. But yeah, went to New Mexico.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
Junior year wasn't great. Senior year was pretty good. Got
to play with Jason Sanders, Miami's kicker. Uh. We kind
of helped push each other in a couple of ways.
And then you went undrafted, went to New England and
again claimed by Buffalo and skip around country a couple
of times and.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Here ash respect power power in the story. You know,
the perseverance in there. Uh you know, like I said,
I know the role here wasn't wasn't easy, but you
stay with it. I know about the undrafted life, you know,
we had, we had that in common. Uh was some
thirteen Yeah, thirteen, and.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
You're now, what year?
Speaker 6 (23:54):
What this is year seven for me? Yeah? Seven? Yeah,
you know define the odds. Yeah, I mean, shoot my
rookie year week one, I think there was eight starting
rookie punters and I think three or four of them
were drafted. And I think there's two or three of
us left, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
So, And that's the difference though between our worlds though, right,
Like at my position, let's say give it a take,
you keep six, right, maybe six safeties, five or active
one practice squad, maybe four or five whatever.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
In your world it's one.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
There's one we play forever.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Yeah, It's like you might have like what two or
three spots of like true rookies coming in that that
make a team. Like it took me three years of
It wasn't until my fourth year out that I finally
made a fifty three college.
Speaker 6 (24:45):
Yeah, I didn't play in the preseason my rookie year.
They helped me out sitting. They're like, oh, I'm just
gonna be on the practice squad. Go get a free ring,
I guess, and the Buffalo said, nope, you're coming with us. Yeah,
six and ten babies.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Hey, we chased it for whatever in this year though,
come on, all right, d d hot.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Let's see. I grew up playing if it was a sport,
I was in like love playing sports. It was a
huge part of my identity at that point. You know,
like being good at sports is like part of who
I was. And you know, played soccer football. From the
earliest stage you can play either and football. It was
(25:29):
always like like, hey, who can kick? And be like
I can kick, and I feel like God had had
given me a gift to just kick the ball farther
than my peers. Even from a young age, it was
just like I can just kick the ball far, and
so I kicked for my football team and play soccer.
But kicking was never like a primary thing. It's like,
my my favorite player was either like Terrell Davis or
(25:52):
Deon Sanders, you know what it was like, Yeah, you know,
like dudes like position players that were like doing stuff.
So it was I always thought like, man, I'll do that,
and so then you know, fast forward, I'm still doing both.
Kicking is still a side thing and I get hurt,
like my freshman year, and every time I'd go to sprint,
(26:15):
it would feel like the injury would not go away.
It felt like I did it yesterday. It was just
like I would rest two weeks, do some pte, try
to work my way running again, and it was still
the same. Like and when you're when you're young like
that and sports are like a part of your world.
It was you know, we're grown now with kids, it
doesn't it doesn't matter. But at that point it was
(26:36):
like a big deal. And for some reason, I could
swing my leg through and it didn't hurt to do.
Like so I couldn't run, but I could swing my leg.
So I was like, well, this is all I can
do to be a part of a team. Then like
I'll become a better kicker. So I went to a camp,
a kicking camp. Shout out Cole's kicking. He's he's been
my coach since then. But anyway, so go to a
(26:58):
camp and I was looking for instruction. I didn't even
know that they did rankings at that time, but they
have camps all over the country and they did rankings,
and so I went for instruction and got some instruction,
and then after the fact, I think one of my
parents were looking it up online and they had ranked
me like it was like two or three in the
country or something like that the very first time somebody
(27:20):
had seen me. And so that kind of opened my
eyes of like, yeah, maybe I could maybe I could
be a position player somewhere like a maybe a smaller
school or something. I was like, or you can just
walk in something that is clearly something that I was
gifted at. Yeah, And I was like, well, I think
that's probably going to be the road to play major
Division one football. Yeah, And so went that route, got
(27:43):
a scholarship to Florida State another you know, met my
wife there. So it was one of the best decisions
I've ever made. And the people they were awesome as
a school that appreciates kickers because they've been on the
bad and the good side of that. And now I'd
argue we're kicker you you know a man Janakowski, Graham Gano,
Roberto Yo, Me and there's some other good ones that Yeah,
(28:08):
Scott Bentley that touched touched the league. But there's a
few of us, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Kick you you heard it right here DAWs only podcast
can't here you somebody get that T shirt, doesn't get
a T shirt?
Speaker 6 (28:21):
Right?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Then then uh bounce around the league a number of
different teams, Uh, through injuries, good performances, bad performances.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I was thinking about the other day. I think maybe
maybe there's one. I don't think I've been picked up
off waivers, But other than that, I think I've been
a part of every type of transaction you can be
a part of in the league. Like I've been on
Peace squad. I was, I guess, except.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
I was draft.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
I was drafted. I was on Peace squad.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
I've been active, but on the non active like on
game day, I've been on I R. I've been traded.
It's like I've checked.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
Years. You that's grazy.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
So obviously you're the only person here that was drafted
six sixth round right, six round draft pick. Talk about
that day, like, how did that moment feel for you?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Your family?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Uh? And honestly, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna say
the truth because like you know, coming in I was
undrafted twenty twelve. I thought I always had a chance
to go to the rams. They had like six picks,
and one of them was it. They took the kicker
and you were a bitter Oh my god, I said,
what world are we living in where they took a
kicker over over a skilled position like me? And and
(29:51):
I didn't know at that time, but as my man
Greg de lay so much respect the Gregs and like you,
you know, so I salute you.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
But how how did it feel?
Speaker 3 (30:01):
They felt awesome? I have my family and friends there. Shoot,
even though it's like a low round, you feel like
it's like you might as well have been a first rounder.
Just the feeling.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
I don't even think I don't I don't think I
drink it. But we had a bottle of champagne that
I was like shooting off. I don't even think I
had had a drink, but it was still just like
you know, so it's it's a good memory. See the
people you love in the time, they they don't know firsthand,
but they know about as close as anybody. The time
you invest all of us that you know, how much
you put into your craft to try to be as
(30:33):
good as you can. And those people are the ones
that understand it the most, as closely as they can,
and so to celebrate that moment with them was is
a is an awesome memory.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, it's priceless, priceless.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, to be honest with you, each of your positions
we know on the team is like it's valued, right,
but like to the outside world, similar to your journey
and even you you weren't once a kicker, or you
didn't dream of being a kicker. You wanted to sec
zer roll the one that would ultimately be you know,
it's like but but honestly, you know, we know the
(31:09):
value in which all of you guys serve and how
important it is and how each play that you're a
part of, how how it's magnified.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Uh talk about like that level of pressure because we
all deal with pressure, you know, in each of our positions.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
But going out with two seconds on the clock.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Having another thirty yarder or going out for only let's
say two punts a game, and your job is you
know what I'm saying, to change change and flip position
right because the game is about uh field position right,
and you play a big role in that and then
obviously you Charlie, like it starts and ends with you
(31:52):
every time. So talk about like that that moment and
how do you handle like those clutch moments of pressure.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
I mean, for me, it's a lot of a lot
of deep breaths, man, Like I do, I honestly do
do a lot of breath work, like sitting on the sideline.
You know that moment's coming up. I'm sitting there just
like controlling the heart rate, controlling the breath, trying to
stay level.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
And then kind of once you get.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Out there, man, it really does kind of for me
at least, like turning the muscle memory. You try to
just forget the situations, just like every other thing you do,
and you just kind of go out there and I
throw it back there and I just you know, hoping,
hoping the thing goes through. And luckily Dustin he's putting
it through. So it's it's been a good feeling to
know as long as I'm doing my job, I can
trust these two guys that do theirs, and uh, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Way to win games.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
I mean, I'm sure it's a it's probably a little
stressful for everybody else, but.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Man, Dud's just praying knee and hugging dudes. You'd never
even tech before you name it, it gets done.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
Look, Charlie was saying, you know, you just that muscle
memory kind of kicks in.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
I'm sitting there on the on the sideline like stressing.
I'm trying not to.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I'm stressing for sure, and then and then once you
get on the field, you know, it takes over.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
But yeah, I'm leading up to it. I'm sitting there.
I'm like, here we go.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, I like it's a good mix between these guys
for me, you know. And and I think Charlie's making
himself probably out to be more nervous than I feel
like he puts off. At least he handles it seems
like he handles it's like a duck, you know, calm
on the surface's legs.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
And well you notice I just stay snapping like I
just keeps.
Speaker 6 (33:30):
My nervous energy, and he's snapping in the NAT's like, Charlie,
we're done for me.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I think I think I got like two perspectives, I think,
and one of them is like a big picture. I'm like,
eternally speaking, this kick does not matter. Does that make sense?
Like it's like man like uh kind of like I
mentioned earlier, as as fathers, you understand that there are
more important things going on in our life and not
that you don't want that, and you want to enjoy
that with your teammates. You want that for like man,
(34:00):
y'all are out there working hard. I want that for
y'all as my team. And so it's not a lack
of desire to do well, but it's more of man
in the gram scheme of life and eternity. This is
a very small thing, you know, And so that's one perspective.
Another perspective also big picture is like my bad day,
an entire city hates me, okay, And some people hear
that and they're like, well that's horrible. I'm like, I
(34:23):
will just move cities, okay, whatever. But like somebody else's
bad day, like you're in the medical field or you're
in like you're a soldier, and I look at their
bad days are so much worse than my bad days.
I'm like, I can handle I can handle that. Like,
but like losing a friend or losing a patient or
like you know, those are tough. Those are tough days.
(34:45):
So big picture. That's kind of how I like, I
don't know, take the pressure off. Is just still just
a game. And then in that moment. In college, there
are times where you know you have a negative thought
and you try to replace it and you're kind of
having that mental battle. And and there was a time
where that didn't work. And then another time, like I
was so confident, overly confident going into a kick, like
(35:08):
and it wasn't like fake and like I really believed it,
and it that didn't work either, and so what so
what I found, what I found is is don't be
results oriented. It's like being that moment and so all
I'm thinking about as we're walking up and well, let
me let me backtrack. It's so nice not having to
think about a snaper a hole, like, because there's been
times sometimes you're like I don't know what I'm about
(35:29):
to get here, But having these guys on the front
end it makes I don't I don't think people out
there realize, like they know, snapping and holding is important
to a kick, but how vital like a good picture
of the football is going in. Yeah, and these guys
like we're a huge part of our team success. But
also like my success because of how good they are
at what they do. So like, I'm really thankful for y'all.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
First of all, come on, Big three starts with a snap,
mom man, come.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
On, and so. But in that moment, all I'm thinking
about are are like kind of like I guess a
golfer would call them swing thoughts. So it might be
like and it changes depending on the week, depending on
what's working or not working leading up to that game,
but it might be patient contact. And that sounds really simple.
But I'm not smart enough to think of more than
(36:17):
two things in my head at the same time, you know,
So that's all I'm just filling my head with those
two things, reminding myself like, oh, in the swing, I
want to do this. And if I'm focusing on that moment,
on those swing thoughts, it doesn't guarantee that you're gonna
make it, but it gives you. It gives you the
best chance that you have.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I think.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
Yeah, it's kind of like like what's the saying, you know,
working hard doesn't guarantee that you'll win, but guarantee that
if you don't, you don't have a chance type of thing.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
So it's funny.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
I think we all have to like think about something
other than what we're actually like doing with our bodies.
It's like I'm not like thinking about like, oh, I
just got to like throw it right there, Like I'm
literally just focused on I'll pick some little point on
his elbow and like I'm just thinking about that point
on his elbow and the ball just you like your
body do the rest.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Like I feel like in sports, at least for.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Everybody, I think like if you're thinking about it, you're
probably wrong, you know, So like we probably all have
our own little ways of like thinking about something that's
not actually what we're doing, if that makes sense, you know.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
I think what also brings like that level of calmness
is routine and you know, a regiment, right, So talk
to us a little bit about on the day to day,
like what does your general like routine look like in
order for you to have that success? You know, come
(37:38):
come on Sundays.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
I snapped to the gold post a little bit to
warm up, and then I kind of just jumped right
into it, to be honest with you, Like my warm
up pretty.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
See that's humble, Charlie. You know, like he lifts, he
studies films in the off season. I'm walking in a
couple of days early and I was like, what are
you doing here? He's like, I'm watching some tape.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
I was like, it's precent having started care.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
I was like, man, it's like, how are you ensuring
that those snaps are Chris? How you ensuring that you
keep your seat? You feel me year to year like
all of those things that contribute to uh this thirteen
years that you you've been playing ball.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Well, I mean, who want to go in the weight room?
Like I do take the weight room like very serious.
You know, it's it's different. It's a different You gotta
being in coverage, you feel me.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You gotta a man right there.
Speaker 5 (38:32):
Ye well no, I do think like that's that's how
you make it through a season. Like you can't just
come in without lifting you your body has to be
used to the forces that you know come at you
during the season. So it starts there.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
You know.
Speaker 5 (38:44):
I'm snapping in the off seasons, Like I'll start snapping
in March, Like I'll take like two months off and
it's back to it.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (38:52):
Even my poor wife's out there catching snaps from the
off season sometimes.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
See I'm telling you, yeah, best teammate ever.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Tell man, look like whatever you and I mean, we
try to get together the off season, but it doesn't
always work out, like we're in different cities or whatever.
But yeah, I know my wife catches. She's been catching
snaps for a long time.
Speaker 6 (39:15):
Yeah right there. Yeah, my wife snaps for me what
she used to know. We got the baby.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (39:23):
But I try to keep practice exactly what I do
warming up for a game, you know, so I go
through no steps, one steps, and then full step punts.
I do six of each each direction. Do the same
thing at practice, and then after that, I kind of,
depending what the wind is, you know, just try to
(39:43):
get a feel for what it's doing at different spots
on the field, so I know when I have to
switch to ossie ball, you know that backspin of them
you catch it, and yeah, I mean I just kind
of figure out what it's doing that day, if anything,
you know, then kind of have a general plan going
into the game and then just kind of wing it.
Speaker 9 (40:05):
See what happens, Humble, This guy's got himself out there
like he's yeah, yeah, just wing it.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
Man.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
It just bombs it.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
It's a beautiful part of his play. It's just as
like I'm gonna go out there and do the things.
Speaker 6 (40:22):
Just do whatever.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Yeah that Cali life.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Yes, it works for a lot of guys.
Speaker 6 (40:26):
I will say, yeah, I feel like that. I mean,
playing in Cleveland, you know you'll get a thirty forty
mile an hour win. You know, I was in Buffalo
for three years. I mean, holy smokes, Like you almost
have to like not not care, but like just accept
what's going on and just like listen, it is what
it is.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
At this point, I can't There's only so much you
can do.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
Yeah, so all those indoor guys out there.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Cory's jealous, That's what he meant.
Speaker 6 (40:55):
I do.
Speaker 5 (40:55):
Remember one time we're lining up and you're putting out
of the dog Pound end zone and I'm lining up.
I'm looking between my legs at you, and a gust
out of hell just comes out of nowhere and it's
like it went from like twenty miles prout or like
fifty miles per hour.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Just I don't know. I don't remember the game. I
look between my legs and Corey's like, please don't stop.
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Wait. I look up at the.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Play clock and I'm like, we gotta go, dude.
Speaker 6 (41:23):
That thing moved five feet from the left to the right.
Speaker 7 (41:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
I tried to wait as long as I could, and
I was like this, this gust ain't stopping.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Dude, it's coming and you just wing it.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah, that's it, and you just got natural hands. Now
I think about it, you forget about I.
Speaker 6 (41:38):
Know these guys cool, David. They think they're great at catching. Sure,
go ahead. I got the most receptions on the team
every year. You got all the pumps and feel it.
I would catch anybody on the team. But out a drop,
I'll drop. I don't glosse. They'll use glose. I don't
use gloves.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
I used to operate the drugs machine for him every day.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
A lot of fourteen yard receptions. Dam at fourteen and
a half? Was it depends on Okay, we're on routine, right, yeah.
Speaker 6 (42:03):
Do we have enough time? Alright?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
The longest longest warm up routine in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
There gives me a hard time. Long whatever you gotta do,
I just.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
Know we're close to you when you put the footballs
under your butt and stretch up, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yeah, Rob, maybe you can relate to this a little bit. Okay,
I feel like the longer you play, there are certain
parts of your body, you got to warm up that
maybe you didn't have to warm up.
Speaker 4 (42:34):
When yeah, I'm there too, I'm there.
Speaker 6 (42:36):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
So as you go through and maybe you're like, oh,
there was a piece of maintenance that I had to
do for X amount of time, it kind of gets
added to your warm up. And so that's kind of
how mine over the years is kind of like one
thing gets added, nothing gets added, and here we are.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Nothing got deleted, nothing I kept. So we got that.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
I got a long warm up, all right, I get it,
guess And I think guys that previously played with it
would say the same thing.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Yeah, it's got to come out because at the end
of the day, it got you paid, right, it got
you paid.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Here that's what we're going. That's what we're going, both
of you, guys. This is the this is very high price.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Corey got our dinner last night and I'm too poor
to bed.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
We did a credit card roulette, Corey loss.
Speaker 6 (43:27):
I love it. Some hurt more than others, But that's
us trying to be like the DBS man.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
No little credit card, that's that's just a staple. That's
a staple in the league in general.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
What's your strategy strategy for roulette?
Speaker 1 (43:40):
I play. I played Last man standing. Okay, yeah, there's
really no no strategy. I probably throw. I probably do
throw in the car that has a little material, different
material than.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
The rest, Like.
Speaker 6 (43:55):
That's how you get picked.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Yeah, but I'm last man standing, right, so it's like
you keep going until whoever, whoever, whatever the last card
is that's in there is the one that I like.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
I've got a metal card and I've got a plastic card.
The metal card I never put in there because it
like sinks to the bottom of the hat and I.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Feel like they might think if they feel a metal
card like this person should pay.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Yeah, but it's a normal card. It's just happened to.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Probability is different though for you guys three versus maybe
a group of fifteen.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
Yeah, well, but then the implications are much lower for
us fifteen.
Speaker 4 (44:28):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
I'm not going to do.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Yeah, I think I've only got picked selected ones for
credit card. But let maybe one thirteen years yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
One time, and the times I play, I'm good, but
I do I do, I do right by my guy.
So I think God just looks out, you know, no need,
He's he took care of it at a different time.
Speaker 4 (44:51):
Okay, not this time. Somebody else needs to do it.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
We talked, we were talking to we on the topic
of the of the money on top of his money,
honest money, but there's money that's in here now, like honestly,
Like how how does how does that feel for you guys,
you know, for the organization to honor you with you know,
both you know, new deals.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
I mean, it's the first time I've resigned somewhere, you know,
so I'm grateful for that to be able to stay
in one place, especially with the family now, Like it
was hard enough moving with two dogs, my wife, you know,
and I got traded like that was just a disaster
having a baby now, just I mean, you guys don't
get it, you know, put the stick with these guys,
(45:33):
keep this group going, working with Bubba and Bravo and
this team kind of where the direction of the team's going.
It's good.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
Yeah, the echoes and what Corey said, I think anytime
a team has a desire to bring you back is
like that's a good feeling, you know, Like, yeah, it's corny,
but it's like it's nice to be wanted, you know.
I think as a player.
Speaker 6 (45:51):
We all want to Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:52):
You want, you want that, you know. So I think
a huge part for me was just how the team
has treated me from day one coming in, Like as
soon as I got traded, I felt like I was
welcomed here like in a way that no other team
I don't know that had welcomed me before. So from
the very jump to how they've h I don't know,
(46:14):
I feel like in a lot of ways prioritize family
more than other places I've been. Is that's a huge
piece for me of wanting to be a part of
what we have here culturally, in addition to that of
like all the pieces we have in place, it's exciting,
and you want to be a part of a winning team.
And I think another piece of that is is you
(46:35):
want to be paid. But we talked about all the
work you put in, how much you invest not just
physically and mentally, but like like emotionally in your craft.
You know, so you want to be you want to
be paid in a way that you feel like, oh man,
i feel like I'm I'm with like in this tier
guys or whatever. In I know some guys want to
(46:57):
set the market. For me, it was just about of
wanted to be in a group that I thought was like, oh,
these these are a section of upper echelant kickers that
I feel like I'm a part of. And like you said,
I just do feel very honored that like the organization,
like we saw eyed eye on that, you know. So,
(47:19):
and shoot the fan base, not to mention like I've
been a part of some fan bases, some really good,
some not as good. And to go out there on
a day that is like, let's be honest, the weather
is horrible a lot and for them to be like, Yo,
we're gonna fill this place up still, We're going to
be loud and we're going to stay for the whole game.
(47:39):
It's like, as a player, that means a lot when
your fan base is committed, for sure. So that's a
that's a really.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Nice aspect too real, you know all about it?
Speaker 4 (47:50):
You know, the longest ten year you know what I'm saying,
player on the team.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
Uh Joel Joe's gotta be about a couple months.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and give credit whords you're
the oldest on the team, am I?
Speaker 2 (48:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (48:04):
People tend to think I'm the oldest, know, so I.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
Got to get it off of me. I'm just going
to toss it to you.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
But honestly, though, like that is a huge, you know,
badge of honor and respect from the organization and peers.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
Like how does that feel.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
Like knowing that you've been a part of this organization
for the past, you know, thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (48:29):
I mean, we're definitely blessed to like you know, Court
kind of touched on it, you know, doesn't touch on it,
like like moving your family around, Like we've been blessed
to be in one place, Like all my kids have
been born in Cleveland, Like there's there's no matter how
long we're here, Like Cleveland's always going to have a
part in our life, like a part of our family history.
Like it's just it's just gonna be a part of
(48:49):
us now forever. So like it's it's always gonna have
a spot in our heart. And and like you guys
were saying, like the fans, you can't beat them, Like
it don't matter how cold it is, don't matter if
it's reigning or like they're out there and like especially
like coming from the seasons where you know, things weren't
necessarily going great to like where they are now, Like
(49:09):
it's definitely like a you have like a blessed feeling
of like you realize, like wins are winds are hard
to get, you know what I mean, And so like
now that we have like a team with some talent
that can really do something, you know, it's just like
it's a great feeling.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
Yeah, yeah, I love it. Man.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
I just got one last question for you guys. We
call this our dog moment, and it really speaks to
being able to overcome an obstacle, a challenge. You know,
like I said earlier, there is no straight line, you know,
to reach in the top of that mountain, right and
(49:47):
knowing that we are one percenter and we didn't get
here on an easy track. So if you can think
of like that one moment in your career or even
in life where you had to channel that inner dog
that lives inside of all of us, what would that be.
Speaker 5 (50:07):
I mean, tell me if I'm on the right track here.
I mean, for me, it was like at one point
in my career, I had gotten I was with Dallas
my first two camps. The second camp I got cut
and I didn't I didn't play in the preseason. I
got cut before the games, and I was a free
agent for ten months, sitting here called, didn't hear nothing.
I thought I was probably done. Got a random call
(50:29):
from the Patriots. They had a scout in Tampa who
called me, except meet me at this part.
Speaker 2 (50:33):
We're gonna do a workout.
Speaker 5 (50:34):
I was like, cool, you know, almost almost didn't bring
a football because I thought it was an NFL workout
or footballs. But it's a good thing I did because
he didn't have football. He grabbed a lady who was
playing basketball to come catch my snaps and I ended
(50:56):
up getting signed off of that.
Speaker 6 (50:57):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (50:58):
Got cut two weeks later, and I thought at that point,
I was like, I'm going to down school, like I'm done.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
Like and got called from Jacksonville. A couple of weeks later.
Speaker 5 (51:08):
I'm in the library studying up for my exam, and
I didn't even answer the phone because I was like, finally,
like set my life a certain way, like I'm moving on.
Immediately called my girlfriend now wife, and was like, Jacksonville's
calling me, Like what do I do? And she was like,
what do you mean, what are you gonna do? I
was like, I want to go to dinn school now,
like I'm moving on. She was like you're gonna regret
that for the rest of your life. And I went
(51:30):
to Jacksonville, had the best camp of my life at
the time. Yeah, and started making practice squads and eventually
ended up here.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Yeah. So yeah, that was a big, big moment for me.
Speaker 4 (51:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (51:43):
Going into my third season, I was in another competition.
This is actually the first season I haven't had another
punter ink camp. It's weird. And going into my third season,
Buffalo is a very very high competitive team. They got
competitions going on all the time throughout the day OTA's
training camp. That's just what they do. And you know,
(52:04):
they pushed us a lot, and you know, I didn't
have a great second season. You know, a lot of
weather that we dealt with. And going into my third season,
it was kind of you know, last year rookie contract
make or break basically, you know, and the guy was
he was real good, best punter I competed against, you
know at the time. Somehow, you know, beat him out.
(52:26):
And it was during that COVID year, so we didn't
have like a real training camp preseason and all that.
They cut him and I thought, okay, cool, like I
got it, and then they signed another punter like a
day later or something like that, and it just kind
of felt like no matter what I did, I was
always having to fight. No matter what I performed, They're
always gonna do something. And so it was like at
that point, it's calling kind of like you know what,
(52:46):
like if I'm not gonna worry about it, I'm just
gonna do my thing, gonna work hard. They bring someone
else in, you know, they're just wasting their time. Basically.
It's kind of how I took it, and you know,
ended up beating them out led the league and punting
that year and signs that was good.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
Professionally. I'd say in twenty fourteen, I was out of
the league for like fifteen weeks, which like like you're
sitting at home then, like I was doing PTE, trying
to get right, and I finally get healthy with three
weeks left in the season, and I tell my agent
to like, hey, if anybody's interested, to tell them I'm
healthy enough to do a workout, because I didn't do
(53:28):
a workout earlier because I knew if I wasn't healthy.
You know, the NFL's a small place anyway, but especially
in the specialist community, like you said earlier, there's only
there's only so many coordinators, there's only so many players.
And I knew if I put a bad look on
tape in a tryout, that word we'll get around. So
I wanted to be healthy, So I got healthy. Finally
had him put word out, had to try out with
(53:50):
the Saints, and they end up signing me to pea
squad the last two weeks of that season. But it
was a long road when you're on the on the
couch and you're like, well, uh, there's times where it's like,
I don't know if this football thing is gonna work out,
you know, as you could try to do everything you
can't you can do within your control, but you just
(54:11):
there's questions, you know.
Speaker 6 (54:12):
And so.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
I would say that that that timeframe of trying to
get healthy and trying and the question of hey, is
this thing going to happen? You know, is a and
now to fast forward and look back on it, it's
I don't know, it's cool, it's cool look back on
on those moments and it kind of you said a
phrase earlier, but basically it was like, how how those
(54:35):
moments tough times helped make like right now so much sweeter?
You know, and you didn't say it quite that way,
but it was something it was yours, I think nicer.
But yeah, i'd say that. I'd say that, and then
personally i'd say, uh, Like, my son is special needs,
he's on the autism spectrum, and I think, uh, to
(54:56):
get well my and my wife is an all star,
she's like a hero of mine. But as a father,
when that happens, I think you have a picture of
what life will look like like as a dad. Like
you're like, man, I'm gonna play catch with my son
in the front yard. I'm gonna do with these things.
And it's not that he can't accomplish those things at
some point maybe, but it's just understanding that, hey, life
(55:16):
is gonna look different. It's not it's not better or worse.
It's just different, and we're gonna enjoy like the gifts
in the moments we have, even though it's different than
the picture of the life that you had in your
mind beforehand, if that makes sense. So I'd say just
gearing up for fatherhood is a what is it called
the dog moment? The dog moment, just like like, hey,
(55:36):
like being a present father every day, Like like I
think we all try to be.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
No, man, it's appreciated each for sharing, and it's it's
beauty in all of our struggle.
Speaker 4 (55:48):
You know what I'm saying. But that's it's a part
of us.
Speaker 1 (55:51):
It lives within us, and it's made us who we
all are sitting here today.
Speaker 4 (55:56):
So much respect.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
Before we get out of here, we got some questions
from a few of our fans.
Speaker 4 (56:04):
I'm just gonna just give y'all one apiece.
Speaker 1 (56:08):
Yeah, he's a quick hitter, he's a easy you know
as nothing. Yeah, yeah, lighthearted fun. Let's go, let's go
have averse order here. We're gonna start with with who's
the funniest guy on the team?
Speaker 3 (56:21):
Right now?
Speaker 6 (56:21):
It's say James.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
I feel like it's not even that close for sure,
so funny man.
Speaker 6 (56:29):
I love him?
Speaker 4 (56:31):
Yeah, I would agree.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
I would agree.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
And that was from Aiden Blandon. He asked, who's the
funniest guy on the team. This is from Noah Boltonly,
what is your what is that personal goal for this
season for you?
Speaker 6 (56:47):
Be a first team All Pro? It's been close a
couple of times, so I think this might be leader.
Let's do it.
Speaker 4 (56:53):
Manifest, all right, Charlie.
Speaker 1 (56:59):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
This is from looks like I can't tell what this is.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
But we're just gonna we just what is the what
is the matchup you're most excited for this year?
Speaker 2 (57:13):
I always get excited to play the Ravens.
Speaker 6 (57:15):
Man.
Speaker 2 (57:16):
Always it's between the Ravens and the Steelers. But I
always excited keep it in the divisional Yeah, yeah, I
like it, man. That is That is all we have
for today.
Speaker 1 (57:27):
I appreciate you guys for man taking some time out
for you know what I'm saying, everybody to get to
know you just a little bit more.
Speaker 8 (57:35):
So.
Speaker 4 (57:36):
It was an honor and the pleasure. Appreciate y'all.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
We have released the dogs and that's all we have
for today. Uh this is your host O g Rod
and tune in next time to the Dog's Only podcast.
Speaker 6 (57:49):
H
Welcome to the Dolls. On the podcast is O g Rod.
I'm very excited. I got my big three here with
me today, Charlie, Corey and d Hop the specialists, our
big three.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I like that.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Come on, I've never heard that one, but it might be.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Walking up.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Let's kick things off, man, how was the how was
the off season?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good? Good man?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Any special tricks?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No, man.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
We we get back down to Florida, and uh, once
we get the kids backed up and settled, man, we're there.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
We don't. I don't know.
Speaker 5 (00:40):
It's it's a hassle, you know, it's it's a it's
a whole thing trying to get kids on a plane
going somewhere. So we're just happy to be home and
enjoy the family, enjoy the friends down there, and we're
just we get settled.
Speaker 6 (00:53):
Well, we just got to play something Denver, so we
were busy setting that up. Went out to Hawaii like
we do every summer. Go visit some family, all right,
both sides of new home, new money. We'll get on
that later, no worries.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
And then uh we just we laid pretty low too.
We had a baby. We laid low. My wife's like, yeah,
I was doing some work there, you know. But uh yeah,
we had we have babies, shoot five months and some
change now, so that kept me busy, you know what
I'm saying. And then uh, we did one of those
kind of rough kids like a four day trip where
(01:32):
travel was you know, not the best.
Speaker 6 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it was good, it was good.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Your your go ahead.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
We actually did we we did take a trip I
forgot we we went to Arizona, so we did the
union meetings out there, and we brought the kids and
we took them much of the Grand Canyon and uh,
it's about three and a half hours north of where
we were at Scottsdale, and we we took all all
three of them up there, got there and realized there
was there was no guardrails.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So my daughter's trying to run away. I'm trying to
snag her hand.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
We ended up having to strap up the little one
on my wife's back and put her in the stroller.
She's four and way too tall for the stroller, but
I had to just strap her up because she was
about to freaking run run off the edge of that thing.
And she just kept saying, well, Dad, you'll come get me.
And I'm like I don't know if there's any come
getting you there. It's like a two mile drop or
whatever it is. It was terrifying. So yeah, word, do
the wise with your kids a little older taking.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
The Grand Canyon.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, see, I just stepped into fatherhood, right, baby girls.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Two months to date, let's go.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, but those flights kind of had up a little
bit right at the age two, I hear.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, yeah, when they're when they're real young, they tend
to just sleep on you.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
Yeah, it's like I say, it's like one and a
half two, they start getting a little more active. Like,
for instance, to Arizona. My youngest was around one and
a half and he was at that screeching phase where
he was just screeching the entire time. He did the
entire flight four and a half five hours. Felt bad
for everybody around us, but it just was what it was.
We couldn't do anything about it. The other two they're
at the age where you give some snacks in the
(03:07):
coloring book.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
They're they're good.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But yeah, no, the young time, they're good to go.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, the youngest was, he was brutal in that way.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Right, Yeah, max it out.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
I got an example for you ready, This is this
past trip. I mentioned I'm not very confrontational person in general.
I will if I have to, but I'm not really confrontational.
We get on the plane and one of the first
ones on there, I'm holding the baby. He's crying like loudly.
My oldest is having a tough time in the seat too,
So we're making as a family, We're making a lot
(03:39):
of noise.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
They haven't, I don't. I don't know if y'all have
noticed this there recently. I feel like planes are hotter
than they've ever been. Step on, like there needs to
be a regulation. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sweating my
shirt out. We got babies crying, and I'm like bouncing
to try to like and it's it's not helping, but
I'm just like sticking with it. Maybe it'll eventually. And
a guy slides in in front of me and he
(04:03):
turns to somebody next to him. He's like, loudly, it
was like, it's gonna be a long flight, huh. And
I was like, I guess dad mode clicked on. I
was like, hey, hey, it's not too late. Now's the
time where it was? It was on a an airline
that you could choose your seat.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
We're not signed.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
So I was like, hey, it's not too late, buddy.
I was like, move now, because it might be a
long flight, but you have a choice right now. You're
not going to hurt our feelings if we choose to move,
you know. So it's like one of those moments where
it's like you're you're just you're sweating, you're tired, your
dad and you're like, hey, make the decision.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, you know, if you want to hold road to yourself,
bring the child.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah it was. It was a family
of four one row.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah, lovely, lovely.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
So we're on the topic of obviously fatherhood and you know,
when to miss a training camp right now, we all
know the daily grind, the physicality that exists for training camp.
It's very challenging on us. But as fathers, right and
as you go off into training camp or even throughout
(05:05):
the season, how hard is it during those days where
you're counting down to that moment where you have to report,
or even just throughout the season when you leave your
home and that time is now lost. You know, as
fathers and those moments we all chairish we unfortunately, miss,
(05:26):
So talk to us a little bit about how you
guys have dealt with that and how does it feel
for you now.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
I mean it's definitely difficult. I mean, you know, packing up,
leaving your family. I mean, you know, now that we're older,
camps a little different. We get to go home at night,
you know, once we're back. But honestly, I would argue
it's harder on the moms, you know. I mean they're
they're they're grunting.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
All by themselves, all by themselves.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
And you know, I'm Facetimer trying to FaceTime at least
twice a day, you know, talk to her and just
get her mind off things a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
But yeah, it's a challenge, man.
Speaker 5 (05:56):
She's got three on her own, trying to keep them
all entertained, keep them all from cracking their head open
on the floor.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Like it's that's that's a job, dude.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
Yeah, yeah, I mean me, I definitely try to take
advantage of the off season, you know, when I'm maybe
taking an hour or two out of the day to
just go work out, kick do whatever. And the rest
of the time, I'm just I'm a dad, you know,
nothing else matters, and it's also time for my wife
to have a little bit of a break because during
training camp in season, like she's the one that handles
(06:26):
the baby, you know, especially like at night if she
wakes up, like she always handles it, so I can
be rusted up to go to work and stuff. How
she does it, couldn't tell you. You know, it's off
days during the season is my day to be, you know,
my dad or be the dad, and she gets to
go out and do whatever, and it is. It's exhausting. Honestly,
I give her a lot of praise. And you guys
(06:48):
with multiple kids, I mean.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
The wives are built different, man. The level of patience,
it's there. They're built differently.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Come, let's give them the praise.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Like I sure with y'all yesterday is like, man, the
amount of sacrifice that moms have to go through physically
one and then mentally and emotionally. I think it's just
a different type of load than we have to take
on as fathers in a lot of different ways. So yeah, hey,
thank you. I think I speak for all of us,
thank y'all back at home.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Absolutely, when women, I mean, they they're superheroes. Moms are superheroes.
I've I've gained a deeper level of respect for all
moms after witnessing you.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Know what I observe for.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
You know, over the course of these ten months up
until you know that that date, and even now just
seeing how much they have to they have to sacrifice
and the job is never over, right, this is something
it's a full time jobs that we've all signed up for,
but even more so in this in this profession, right
(08:02):
that most of the time it takes up you know,
we're away and now the responsibility.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Lies on these women and our wives.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So I think it's important for you to get the
right teammate, right, like the right teammate, because not every
woman understands what is required and what's asked of us,
you know, as an athlete, and how much they truly
(08:35):
have to give and be very respectful of you know,
our time, responsibilities in day to day so you know oursolute,
you know our wives, you know, for for being that
backbone for us, you know when we need them. And honestly,
and I would say, probably the best teammate that i've
you know, I've had to date.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
That's right answer, You're absolutely right, man, I tell guys,
younger guys they'll ask me when they find out I've
been married for a while, like so you know, they're
asked a questions about marriage and I'm like, man, when
you find the right woman, and like, thank the Lord
I have, it's the best decision I've ever made outside
of become a believer. It's like, it's it's the best
(09:19):
decision you can make, is what I tell guys. I
was like, but if you find the wrong one, it
could be one of the worst worst decisions you've ever made,
you know.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
So it makes it breaks your life.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
Man, It's the most important decision you make in your life,
like as your partner for.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Life, you know, so.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
No, like who you settle down with, Like that's that's
the key to your happiness.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Man.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
Like you guys ask me about that all the time too,
And they're like, you know, the lialion, like ask what
it's like to have kids, And I'm like, you know,
would you recommend having kids young?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Waiting a little bit like whatever, And I'm like.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Well, that's, you know, obviously up to you, but I
will tell you, like, does not make this job any easier,
Like you know, we've we've got to we've got to
sleep at night. You know, that's when we you know,
recover and when you've got an infant man like.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
A sleep it's not always there.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And I don't know about y'all, but I've never slept
the same since I've had kids, Like even now that
we're not really in the infant stage anymore, like it
never went back. Like I'm still like just like alert,
like I'll hear some little noise like I'm up and
uh yeah. It's just from that aspect alone definitely makes
the job a little a little bit more difficult.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
So, uh, you know, we've obviously were on the subject
of ball and for a lot of viewers, they may
not know you guys journey. You know, you can give
us a little snapshot to share as much as you
want or as little, uh, but just tell us how
did you, guys arrive.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
To where you are today?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Have you?
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Have you always dreamt of being an NFL kicker, punter,
long snapper, like, tell us tell us about tell us
about your your your football journey.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
So I started playing football on I was eight. I
don't ever remember a time where I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Like love football like I've always been obsessed with it.
Speaker 5 (11:09):
I grew up watching my cousins play like I think
that's kind of what spurred it in my head, but
that's like before I even have memory, so it's just
always been in my head. Grew up, I was a
tight end, played through high school as a tight end.
Played a little bit of center my senior year but
mostly mostly tight end. Went to college, went to UCF
sort of snapping my junior year, just kind of as
(11:30):
like a side gig, you know. And when I went
to UCF as a walk on, you know, is be
backup tight end, backup snapper like whatever. But like two
weeks before freshman camp, our snapper who was our snapper
had graduated the year before, so the rising junior it
was going to slight it. Slater to be the snapper
kind of just quit, like quit the team. Not sure
(11:53):
what happened. So there's an open spot and they asked
me to go out for it. Ended up getting it,
and then kind of once I got that that spot,
coach called me in, So you're not gonna play tighten anymore.
You're gonna be our scholarship snapper. So that was kind
of how that worked out. I was just happy to
have a scholarship so that I was cool with it,
but yeah, and then then from there just kind of
(12:15):
took off.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Certainly. Never never thought I would be in the league,
that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
So walk on from college.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I've read something that said you also had a you
had an offer from Brown?
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (12:27):
So I I uh, I got recruited by a lot
of one double A schools and Brown was one of
the ones that came knocking on the door. As soon
as I figured out they didn't give out scholarships and
how expensive that school was kind of kind of exit
off for me. But yeah, no, I mean that that
would have been really cool obviously, but I don't think
(12:49):
I would have been a snapper there, So I think
it ended up working out.
Speaker 6 (12:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Everything, Yeah, everything works out of the way it is
supposed to. How how was that as as a as
a walk on in college? What was that experience?
Speaker 5 (13:02):
Like, well, I was only a walk on, I guess
for like my summer, first summer semester, so I kind of.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I quickly got a scholarship.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
So it's different though, Like I remember like definitely feeling
a little inferior, like you kind of had to have
like a prove it mentality. You were always like comparing
yourself to the guys that had scholarships, and uh, yeah,
you just wanted to be one of those guys, Like
I remember just like wanting to get a scholarship. That
was only my only thought. And then once once kind
of that opportunity or you know, arrived to take the
(13:34):
snapper route, I was just happy to do it. Like
I was happy to get on scholarship and not have to,
you know, take on debt or put that on my
parents or whatever, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
So I was happy to do it.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
And I ask a follow up question, I know this
is your at one point you said you never thought
you'd be in the league. I interest you this. At
one point did you think that You're like, oh, I
got a shot.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Like it was it was like spring going into my
senior year. We had it.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
We had a really good punter who played in the
league for a couple of years, and we had a scout.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
The scout was just over there watching me snap and
him punt.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
And I remember thinking like, oh, he's just watching the punter,
you know, And my buddy like tapped me and he's like, no,
he's watching you. He's timing your snaps. He's watching you
and I was like, no, he's not. He figured out
he was, you know, So that that kind of like
opened my eyes.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I was like, oh, shoot, like this I might have
a chance to do this.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
And at the time, I was just like trying to
get through school on scholarship, and my plan at the
time was good to dental school. So I was like,
you know, studying up for my exams and trying to
make good grades and everything. And you know, over the
next couple of months, I kind of realized like that
that plan was going to be pushed back a little bit.
So I was gonna see how long football would football
(14:48):
would take me?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
So we are thirty years later, he'd be a big
dentist man.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Yeah, everybody said that. It was kind of the family occupations.
Uh decided I'll just kind of follow in the footsteps.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, So as a long snapper right in the NFL,
like what are teams looking for when as a long snapper?
Like what what are the keys to to success? And
for you having as long as his career as you have, right,
like what separates you from from the rest?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
I mean obviously like accuracy, you know, and and the
balls got to get there in a certain amount of time,
So you gotta be accurate. It's got to be relatively fast,
not too fast, because that, you know, tends to freaks
some punters out. But I would say the next thing
is probably protection, Like you got to be able to block,
like you can't. You can't just be getting run over.
You're gonna get punts blocked, field goal is blocked, whatever
it is. So you gotta be able to block. You
(15:48):
gotta be able to cover decently.
Speaker 6 (15:49):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Some guys cover better than others.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
What would you rate what would you rate your coverage?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Man, I'm gonna put myself right in the middle, right
in the middle.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
But it's tight end. But the tight end, the tight
end back.
Speaker 7 (16:02):
Oh, we got a special special guests, special special guests.
We were just talking about tight ends too, right, the
back of the tight end.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Uh, background that you had allows you to be able
to block an elite level.
Speaker 8 (16:19):
Yeah, I just came when I heard that he was
going to be a dentist. That's kind of probably one
of the scariest everything.
Speaker 5 (16:25):
Yeah, I think, uh yeah, I think it's a good
thing that that football worked out.
Speaker 6 (16:30):
I mean, it's not too late, but.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
It is too late.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Man, I'm thirty four years old schools four years now.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
It's too late.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
It's never, it's never really too late.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
And Pa pa Pa covered that tuition.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
You know, man, what's good? So you appreciate you Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You're doing right, but this is life. You lose your shirt?
Speaker 6 (16:56):
Yeah on baby, Yeah I found it.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Oh got what you got?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
What you got for words? Gift? I was.
Speaker 8 (17:05):
I just finished Oxygen right and I saw Dom and
he told me about this great podcast that you have,
and I was like, I gotta come.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Come on, come on, you know what I mean. Yeah,
So we're gonna get it. We're gonna get a special
one on one with David and Joku. Is that coming up?
Is that is that soon?
Speaker 6 (17:22):
You're the boss? You telling me to do and I'm
doing all right?
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Maybe thirty thirty? I know part of it, you know
when I got hurt day was trying to come in
and kick a little bit.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I'm gonna try cup Cub, I'm gonna try it.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
So maybe that's I forgot about that.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
Kevin wasn't having it though.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Kick I'm strong, let me con that's a point in
your mind.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I don't know why, Like I can kick and there
might be some room for you this year a zoo.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
But I can definitely kick. And if it's a hup
of team, I'm all for it, you know, because this
is great.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We're looking we're looking for somebody, you know, potentially the
new kickoff rules and everything. You could be that guy.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
To do, to do what you said, kick or kick.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, and then and they gonna make the tackle. I'm
an office of guy all the way time.
Speaker 6 (18:15):
My whole you offers a guy whatever offense.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
But I see you wrestle. I see you wrestle in the.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
Locker when when I get mad, but I'm not mad
at all the time.
Speaker 6 (18:25):
Don't get me mad. Don't do that.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
I can I can tell you're gonna push your buttons
noctually coming all right, you huh?
Speaker 4 (18:35):
I mean we got space.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
There's no room here.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
For sure. No thanks for having me.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
I just wanted to come by and say hi to
the guys and to the fans, beautiful fans.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Yeah yeah, come on, man, that's blessing the pleasure, all right,
you know, new knewest.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
We got some competition, you got some competition.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Hey, let me keep this job, all right, let me
have this. I'll let you keep that in Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
All right now. We were on the Cory your journey.
I don't recommend this route. Okay, it's not for not
growing up no interest in football. I played baseball. That
was my thing, huge Dodgers fan, That's what I.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
Wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Position.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
I was kind of all over end of my playing
at like thirteen, you know, I was centerfield. You know,
I was the I would argue the best hitter on
the team at the time. But uh yeah, just got
burnt out. Wasn't doing it anymore. Just started playing soccer
after that again, like I did when I was younger,
going into high school, playing soccer my sophomore year. After
(20:01):
the season, we're basically just conditioning, getting ready for the
next season, and I'm not having it. I don't like
to run, you know, well I'm kicking the ball sure.
Besides that, I don't run. Hence why I'm a punter.
I don't have to do anything. And the punter at
the time was graduating. He was top two three in
the country, you know, real good punter. And they had
(20:23):
an open spot and usually, you know, they always come
out the soccer team who wants to kick and punt,
And so I was like, you know, I talked to
my coach, can I get out of practice to go
do this? And he was like sure, that was the
end of it. I don't have to run anymore and
I can just go kick a ball. So training with
him for a couple of months, got the job and
never looked back.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
You know, I know, well, I know the process. Was
it just a straight line, you know, to to where
you are right now?
Speaker 6 (20:50):
Yeah, I almost stopped playing a couple of times. Coming
out of high school. I was all state my senior
year and was going to go to Sacramento State, you know,
somewhat you know, six hours away or so, kind of
close to home, not too bad. But cal Pauly sam
Luis Obispo also had some interest and they're real good
engineering school and that's kind of what I wanted to
(21:11):
go to school for. Uh So, towards end of my
senior year, you know, I called Sacramento State. I'm like, hey, sorry,
like I'm going you know, not even football reasons, just
education wise. I want to go here for engineering. And
they're like, cool, we get it, no worries, you know,
it's just a preferred walk on. So it wasn't a
big deal. I think it was two or three days
before I graduated high school, We're having our senior farewell
assembly and I get a call from a coach at
(21:32):
cal Pauly. So I step outside real quick, get on
the phone. Hey man, what's up. How's it going? And
he's like, hey, buddy, here's the thing. Roster's full. We
can't have you come out anymore, like spots taken. Sorry, Bud,
go to a junior college or something. We'll get you
at the semester. You know, Like all right, so go
to junior college. Freshman year terrible, wasn't good, reach out
(21:54):
to the coach. Nothing, never hear back. They call it
ghosted me. Yeah, first of many and and uh they
scholarship some other kid, you know, and it was just
kind of left hang, you know basically, And you know,
we had a pretty good junior college. You know DJ
Reid places for the Jets. We were teammates there. Uh
(22:15):
Kyle Peckoh, he's a d lineman I think with the Broncos.
Now maybe you know he went there, so you know,
it's a good program. So if you know what these
other guys are getting, looks someone will see me. No
big deal. Uh, USC comes out before my sophomore season,
and I had your offensive coordinator tells the scout like,
this kid's gonna be an All American punter. You guys
(22:35):
are gonna have a next year. And I was like, yo,
us C, like let's go, Like that'd be sweet. Go out.
End up being an All American that season. Uh, reached
him out to him nothing the scholarship, some Australian kid
who ended up losing his job the next season to
walk on freshman. Uh. And it you know, there's this
nothing I had to offer from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Uh,
(22:58):
New Mexico where I ended up going, and then Indiana State.
Speaker 8 (23:02):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
And you know I was expecting a little bit. I
guess bigger schools just with what I had done. You know,
maybe my ego was just a little big and I
didn't realize it. Uh. But yeah, went to New Mexico.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
Junior year wasn't great. Senior year was pretty good. Got
to play with Jason Sanders, Miami's kicker. Uh. We kind
of helped push each other in a couple of ways.
And then you went undrafted, went to New England and
again claimed by Buffalo and skip around country a couple
of times and.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Here ash respect power power in the story. You know,
the perseverance in there. Uh you know, like I said,
I know the role here wasn't wasn't easy, but you
stay with it. I know about the undrafted life, you know,
we had, we had that in common. Uh was some
thirteen Yeah, thirteen, and.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
You're now, what year?
Speaker 6 (23:54):
What this is year seven for me? Yeah? Seven? Yeah,
you know define the odds. Yeah, I mean, shoot my
rookie year week one, I think there was eight starting
rookie punters and I think three or four of them
were drafted. And I think there's two or three of
us left, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
So, And that's the difference though between our worlds though, right,
Like at my position, let's say give it a take,
you keep six, right, maybe six safeties, five or active
one practice squad, maybe four or five whatever.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
In your world it's one.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
There's one we play forever.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Yeah, It's like you might have like what two or
three spots of like true rookies coming in that that
make a team. Like it took me three years of
It wasn't until my fourth year out that I finally
made a fifty three college.
Speaker 6 (24:45):
Yeah, I didn't play in the preseason my rookie year.
They helped me out sitting. They're like, oh, I'm just
gonna be on the practice squad. Go get a free ring,
I guess, and the Buffalo said, nope, you're coming with us. Yeah,
six and ten babies.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Hey, we chased it for whatever in this year though,
come on, all right, d d hot.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Let's see. I grew up playing if it was a sport,
I was in like love playing sports. It was a
huge part of my identity at that point. You know,
like being good at sports is like part of who
I was. And you know, played soccer football. From the
earliest stage you can play either and football. It was
(25:29):
always like like, hey, who can kick? And be like
I can kick, and I feel like God had had
given me a gift to just kick the ball farther
than my peers. Even from a young age, it was
just like I can just kick the ball far, and
so I kicked for my football team and play soccer.
But kicking was never like a primary thing. It's like,
my my favorite player was either like Terrell Davis or
(25:52):
Deon Sanders, you know what it was like, Yeah, you know,
like dudes like position players that were like doing stuff.
So it was I always thought like, man, I'll do that,
and so then you know, fast forward, I'm still doing both.
Kicking is still a side thing and I get hurt,
like my freshman year, and every time I'd go to sprint,
(26:15):
it would feel like the injury would not go away.
It felt like I did it yesterday. It was just
like I would rest two weeks, do some pte, try
to work my way running again, and it was still
the same. Like and when you're when you're young like
that and sports are like a part of your world.
It was you know, we're grown now with kids, it
doesn't it doesn't matter. But at that point it was
(26:36):
like a big deal. And for some reason, I could
swing my leg through and it didn't hurt to do.
Like so I couldn't run, but I could swing my leg.
So I was like, well, this is all I can
do to be a part of a team. Then like
I'll become a better kicker. So I went to a camp,
a kicking camp. Shout out Cole's kicking. He's he's been
my coach since then. But anyway, so go to a
(26:58):
camp and I was looking for instruction. I didn't even
know that they did rankings at that time, but they
have camps all over the country and they did rankings,
and so I went for instruction and got some instruction,
and then after the fact, I think one of my
parents were looking it up online and they had ranked
me like it was like two or three in the
country or something like that the very first time somebody
(27:20):
had seen me. And so that kind of opened my
eyes of like, yeah, maybe I could maybe I could
be a position player somewhere like a maybe a smaller
school or something. I was like, or you can just
walk in something that is clearly something that I was
gifted at. Yeah, And I was like, well, I think
that's probably going to be the road to play major
Division one football. Yeah, And so went that route, got
(27:43):
a scholarship to Florida State another you know, met my
wife there. So it was one of the best decisions
I've ever made. And the people they were awesome as
a school that appreciates kickers because they've been on the
bad and the good side of that. And now I'd
argue we're kicker you you know a man Janakowski, Graham Gano,
Roberto Yo, Me and there's some other good ones that Yeah,
(28:08):
Scott Bentley that touched touched the league. But there's a
few of us, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Kick you you heard it right here DAWs only podcast
can't here you somebody get that T shirt, doesn't get
a T shirt?
Speaker 6 (28:21):
Right?
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Then then uh bounce around the league a number of
different teams, Uh, through injuries, good performances, bad performances.
Speaker 5 (28:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I was thinking about the other day. I think maybe
maybe there's one. I don't think I've been picked up
off waivers, But other than that, I think I've been
a part of every type of transaction you can be
a part of in the league. Like I've been on
Peace squad. I was, I guess, except.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
I was draft.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
I was drafted. I was on Peace squad.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
I've been active, but on the non active like on
game day, I've been on I R. I've been traded.
It's like I've checked.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
Years. You that's grazy.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
So obviously you're the only person here that was drafted
six sixth round right, six round draft pick. Talk about
that day, like, how did that moment feel for you?
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Your family?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Uh? And honestly, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna say
the truth because like you know, coming in I was
undrafted twenty twelve. I thought I always had a chance
to go to the rams. They had like six picks,
and one of them was it. They took the kicker
and you were a bitter Oh my god, I said,
what world are we living in where they took a
kicker over over a skilled position like me? And and
(29:51):
I didn't know at that time, but as my man
Greg de lay so much respect the Gregs and like you,
you know, so I salute you.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
But how how did it feel?
Speaker 3 (30:01):
They felt awesome? I have my family and friends there. Shoot,
even though it's like a low round, you feel like
it's like you might as well have been a first rounder.
Just the feeling.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
I don't even think I don't I don't think I
drink it. But we had a bottle of champagne that
I was like shooting off. I don't even think I
had had a drink, but it was still just like
you know, so it's it's a good memory. See the
people you love in the time, they they don't know firsthand,
but they know about as close as anybody. The time
you invest all of us that you know, how much
you put into your craft to try to be as
(30:33):
good as you can. And those people are the ones
that understand it the most, as closely as they can,
and so to celebrate that moment with them was is
a is an awesome memory.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Yeah, it's priceless, priceless.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, to be honest with you, each of your positions
we know on the team is like it's valued, right,
but like to the outside world, similar to your journey
and even you you weren't once a kicker, or you
didn't dream of being a kicker. You wanted to sec
zer roll the one that would ultimately be you know,
it's like but but honestly, you know, we know the
(31:09):
value in which all of you guys serve and how
important it is and how each play that you're a
part of, how how it's magnified.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Uh talk about like that level of pressure because we
all deal with pressure, you know, in each of our positions.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
But going out with two seconds on the clock.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Having another thirty yarder or going out for only let's
say two punts a game, and your job is you
know what I'm saying, to change change and flip position
right because the game is about uh field position right,
and you play a big role in that and then
obviously you Charlie, like it starts and ends with you
(31:52):
every time. So talk about like that that moment and
how do you handle like those clutch moments of pressure.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
I mean, for me, it's a lot of a lot
of deep breaths, man, Like I do, I honestly do
do a lot of breath work, like sitting on the sideline.
You know that moment's coming up. I'm sitting there just
like controlling the heart rate, controlling the breath, trying to
stay level.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
And then kind of once you get.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Out there, man, it really does kind of for me
at least, like turning the muscle memory. You try to
just forget the situations, just like every other thing you do,
and you just kind of go out there and I
throw it back there and I just you know, hoping,
hoping the thing goes through. And luckily Dustin he's putting
it through. So it's it's been a good feeling to
know as long as I'm doing my job, I can
trust these two guys that do theirs, and uh, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Way to win games.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
I mean, I'm sure it's a it's probably a little
stressful for everybody else, but.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
Man, Dud's just praying knee and hugging dudes. You'd never
even tech before you name it, it gets done.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
Look, Charlie was saying, you know, you just that muscle
memory kind of kicks in.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
I'm sitting there on the on the sideline like stressing.
I'm trying not to.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
I'm stressing for sure, and then and then once you
get on the field, you know, it takes over.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
But yeah, I'm leading up to it. I'm sitting there.
I'm like, here we go.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Yeah, I like it's a good mix between these guys
for me, you know. And and I think Charlie's making
himself probably out to be more nervous than I feel
like he puts off. At least he handles it seems
like he handles it's like a duck, you know, calm
on the surface's legs.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
And well you notice I just stay snapping like I
just keeps.
Speaker 6 (33:30):
My nervous energy, and he's snapping in the NAT's like, Charlie,
we're done for me.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I think I think I got like two perspectives, I think,
and one of them is like a big picture. I'm like,
eternally speaking, this kick does not matter. Does that make sense?
Like it's like man like uh kind of like I
mentioned earlier, as as fathers, you understand that there are
more important things going on in our life and not
that you don't want that, and you want to enjoy
that with your teammates. You want that for like man,
(34:00):
y'all are out there working hard. I want that for
y'all as my team. And so it's not a lack
of desire to do well, but it's more of man
in the gram scheme of life and eternity. This is
a very small thing, you know, And so that's one perspective.
Another perspective also big picture is like my bad day,
an entire city hates me, okay, And some people hear
that and they're like, well that's horrible. I'm like, I
(34:23):
will just move cities, okay, whatever. But like somebody else's
bad day, like you're in the medical field or you're
in like you're a soldier, and I look at their
bad days are so much worse than my bad days.
I'm like, I can handle I can handle that. Like,
but like losing a friend or losing a patient or
like you know, those are tough. Those are tough days.
(34:45):
So big picture. That's kind of how I like, I
don't know, take the pressure off. Is just still just
a game. And then in that moment. In college, there
are times where you know you have a negative thought
and you try to replace it and you're kind of
having that mental battle. And and there was a time
where that didn't work. And then another time, like I
was so confident, overly confident going into a kick, like
(35:08):
and it wasn't like fake and like I really believed it,
and it that didn't work either, and so what so
what I found, what I found is is don't be
results oriented. It's like being that moment and so all
I'm thinking about as we're walking up and well, let
me let me backtrack. It's so nice not having to
think about a snaper a hole, like, because there's been
times sometimes you're like I don't know what I'm about
(35:29):
to get here, But having these guys on the front
end it makes I don't I don't think people out
there realize, like they know, snapping and holding is important
to a kick, but how vital like a good picture
of the football is going in. Yeah, and these guys
like we're a huge part of our team success. But
also like my success because of how good they are
at what they do. So like, I'm really thankful for y'all.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
First of all, come on, Big three starts with a snap,
mom man, come.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
On, and so. But in that moment, all I'm thinking
about are are like kind of like I guess a
golfer would call them swing thoughts. So it might be
like and it changes depending on the week, depending on
what's working or not working leading up to that game,
but it might be patient contact. And that sounds really simple.
But I'm not smart enough to think of more than
(36:17):
two things in my head at the same time, you know,
So that's all I'm just filling my head with those
two things, reminding myself like, oh, in the swing, I
want to do this. And if I'm focusing on that moment,
on those swing thoughts, it doesn't guarantee that you're gonna
make it, but it gives you. It gives you the
best chance that you have.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
I think.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
Yeah, it's kind of like like what's the saying, you know,
working hard doesn't guarantee that you'll win, but guarantee that
if you don't, you don't have a chance type of thing.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
So it's funny.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
I think we all have to like think about something
other than what we're actually like doing with our bodies.
It's like I'm not like thinking about like, oh, I
just got to like throw it right there, Like I'm
literally just focused on I'll pick some little point on
his elbow and like I'm just thinking about that point
on his elbow and the ball just you like your
body do the rest.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Like I feel like in sports, at least for.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Everybody, I think like if you're thinking about it, you're
probably wrong, you know, So like we probably all have
our own little ways of like thinking about something that's
not actually what we're doing, if that makes sense, you know.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
I think what also brings like that level of calmness
is routine and you know, a regiment, right, So talk
to us a little bit about on the day to day,
like what does your general like routine look like in
order for you to have that success? You know, come
(37:38):
come on Sundays.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
I snapped to the gold post a little bit to
warm up, and then I kind of just jumped right
into it, to be honest with you, Like my warm
up pretty.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
See that's humble, Charlie. You know, like he lifts, he
studies films in the off season. I'm walking in a
couple of days early and I was like, what are
you doing here? He's like, I'm watching some tape.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
I was like, it's precent having started care.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
I was like, man, it's like, how are you ensuring
that those snaps are Chris? How you ensuring that you
keep your seat? You feel me year to year like
all of those things that contribute to uh this thirteen
years that you you've been playing ball.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Well, I mean, who want to go in the weight room?
Like I do take the weight room like very serious.
You know, it's it's different. It's a different You gotta
being in coverage, you feel me.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You gotta a man right there.
Speaker 5 (38:32):
Ye well no, I do think like that's that's how
you make it through a season. Like you can't just
come in without lifting you your body has to be
used to the forces that you know come at you
during the season. So it starts there.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
You know.
Speaker 5 (38:44):
I'm snapping in the off seasons, Like I'll start snapping
in March, Like I'll take like two months off and
it's back to it.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (38:52):
Even my poor wife's out there catching snaps from the
off season sometimes.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
See I'm telling you, yeah, best teammate ever.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
Tell man, look like whatever you and I mean, we
try to get together the off season, but it doesn't
always work out, like we're in different cities or whatever.
But yeah, I know my wife catches. She's been catching
snaps for a long time.
Speaker 6 (39:15):
Yeah right there. Yeah, my wife snaps for me what
she used to know. We got the baby.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (39:23):
But I try to keep practice exactly what I do
warming up for a game, you know, so I go
through no steps, one steps, and then full step punts.
I do six of each each direction. Do the same
thing at practice, and then after that, I kind of,
depending what the wind is, you know, just try to
(39:43):
get a feel for what it's doing at different spots
on the field, so I know when I have to
switch to ossie ball, you know that backspin of them
you catch it, and yeah, I mean I just kind
of figure out what it's doing that day, if anything,
you know, then kind of have a general plan going
into the game and then just kind of wing it.
Speaker 9 (40:05):
See what happens, Humble, This guy's got himself out there
like he's yeah, yeah, just wing it.
Speaker 6 (40:16):
Man.
Speaker 4 (40:16):
It just bombs it.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
It's a beautiful part of his play. It's just as
like I'm gonna go out there and do the things.
Speaker 6 (40:22):
Just do whatever.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Yeah that Cali life.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Yes, it works for a lot of guys.
Speaker 6 (40:26):
I will say, yeah, I feel like that. I mean,
playing in Cleveland, you know you'll get a thirty forty
mile an hour win. You know, I was in Buffalo
for three years. I mean, holy smokes, Like you almost
have to like not not care, but like just accept
what's going on and just like listen, it is what
it is.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
At this point, I can't There's only so much you
can do.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
Yeah, so all those indoor guys out there.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Cory's jealous, That's what he meant.
Speaker 6 (40:55):
I do.
Speaker 5 (40:55):
Remember one time we're lining up and you're putting out
of the dog Pound end zone and I'm lining up.
I'm looking between my legs at you, and a gust
out of hell just comes out of nowhere and it's
like it went from like twenty miles prout or like
fifty miles per hour.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Just I don't know. I don't remember the game. I
look between my legs and Corey's like, please don't stop.
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Wait. I look up at the.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Play clock and I'm like, we gotta go, dude.
Speaker 6 (41:23):
That thing moved five feet from the left to the right.
Speaker 7 (41:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:26):
I tried to wait as long as I could, and
I was like this, this gust ain't stopping.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Dude, it's coming and you just wing it.
Speaker 4 (41:31):
Yeah, that's it, and you just got natural hands. Now
I think about it, you forget about I.
Speaker 6 (41:38):
Know these guys cool, David. They think they're great at catching. Sure,
go ahead. I got the most receptions on the team
every year. You got all the pumps and feel it.
I would catch anybody on the team. But out a drop,
I'll drop. I don't glosse. They'll use glose. I don't
use gloves.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
I used to operate the drugs machine for him every day.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
A lot of fourteen yard receptions. Dam at fourteen and
a half? Was it depends on Okay, we're on routine, right, yeah.
Speaker 6 (42:03):
Do we have enough time? Alright?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
The longest longest warm up routine in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
There gives me a hard time. Long whatever you gotta do,
I just.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
Know we're close to you when you put the footballs
under your butt and stretch up, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yeah, Rob, maybe you can relate to this a little bit. Okay,
I feel like the longer you play, there are certain
parts of your body, you got to warm up that
maybe you didn't have to warm up.
Speaker 4 (42:34):
When yeah, I'm there too, I'm there.
Speaker 6 (42:36):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
So as you go through and maybe you're like, oh,
there was a piece of maintenance that I had to
do for X amount of time, it kind of gets
added to your warm up. And so that's kind of
how mine over the years is kind of like one
thing gets added, nothing gets added, and here we are.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Nothing got deleted, nothing I kept. So we got that.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
I got a long warm up, all right, I get it,
guess And I think guys that previously played with it
would say the same thing.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
Yeah, it's got to come out because at the end
of the day, it got you paid, right, it got
you paid.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Here that's what we're going. That's what we're going, both
of you, guys. This is the this is very high price.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Corey got our dinner last night and I'm too poor
to bed.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
We did a credit card roulette, Corey loss.
Speaker 6 (43:27):
I love it. Some hurt more than others, But that's
us trying to be like the DBS man.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
No little credit card, that's that's just a staple. That's
a staple in the league in general.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
What's your strategy strategy for roulette?
Speaker 1 (43:40):
I play. I played Last man standing. Okay, yeah, there's
really no no strategy. I probably throw. I probably do
throw in the car that has a little material, different
material than.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
The rest, Like.
Speaker 6 (43:55):
That's how you get picked.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Yeah, but I'm last man standing, right, so it's like
you keep going until whoever, whoever, whatever the last card
is that's in there is the one that I like.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
I've got a metal card and I've got a plastic card.
The metal card I never put in there because it
like sinks to the bottom of the hat and I.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Feel like they might think if they feel a metal
card like this person should pay.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Yeah, but it's a normal card. It's just happened to.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Probability is different though for you guys three versus maybe
a group of fifteen.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
Yeah, well, but then the implications are much lower for
us fifteen.
Speaker 4 (44:28):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
I'm not going to do.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Yeah, I think I've only got picked selected ones for
credit card. But let maybe one thirteen years yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
One time, and the times I play, I'm good, but
I do I do, I do right by my guy.
So I think God just looks out, you know, no need,
He's he took care of it at a different time.
Speaker 4 (44:51):
Okay, not this time. Somebody else needs to do it.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
We talked, we were talking to we on the topic
of the of the money on top of his money,
honest money, but there's money that's in here now, like honestly,
Like how how does how does that feel for you guys,
you know, for the organization to honor you with you know,
both you know, new deals.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
I mean, it's the first time I've resigned somewhere, you know,
so I'm grateful for that to be able to stay
in one place, especially with the family now, Like it
was hard enough moving with two dogs, my wife, you know,
and I got traded like that was just a disaster
having a baby now, just I mean, you guys don't
get it, you know, put the stick with these guys,
(45:33):
keep this group going, working with Bubba and Bravo and
this team kind of where the direction of the team's going.
It's good.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
Yeah, the echoes and what Corey said, I think anytime
a team has a desire to bring you back is
like that's a good feeling, you know, Like, yeah, it's corny,
but it's like it's nice to be wanted, you know.
I think as a player.
Speaker 6 (45:51):
We all want to Yeah.
Speaker 3 (45:52):
You want, you want that, you know. So I think
a huge part for me was just how the team
has treated me from day one coming in, Like as
soon as I got traded, I felt like I was
welcomed here like in a way that no other team
I don't know that had welcomed me before. So from
the very jump to how they've h I don't know,
(46:14):
I feel like in a lot of ways prioritize family
more than other places I've been. Is that's a huge
piece for me of wanting to be a part of
what we have here culturally, in addition to that of
like all the pieces we have in place, it's exciting,
and you want to be a part of a winning team.
And I think another piece of that is is you
(46:35):
want to be paid. But we talked about all the
work you put in, how much you invest not just
physically and mentally, but like like emotionally in your craft.
You know, so you want to be you want to
be paid in a way that you feel like, oh man,
i feel like I'm I'm with like in this tier
guys or whatever. In I know some guys want to
(46:57):
set the market. For me, it was just about of
wanted to be in a group that I thought was like, oh,
these these are a section of upper echelant kickers that
I feel like I'm a part of. And like you said,
I just do feel very honored that like the organization,
like we saw eyed eye on that, you know. So,
(47:19):
and shoot the fan base, not to mention like I've
been a part of some fan bases, some really good,
some not as good. And to go out there on
a day that is like, let's be honest, the weather
is horrible a lot and for them to be like, Yo,
we're gonna fill this place up still, We're going to
be loud and we're going to stay for the whole game.
(47:39):
It's like, as a player, that means a lot when
your fan base is committed, for sure. So that's a
that's a really.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Nice aspect too real, you know all about it?
Speaker 4 (47:50):
You know, the longest ten year you know what I'm saying,
player on the team.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
Uh Joel Joe's gotta be about a couple months.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and give credit whords you're
the oldest on the team, am I?
Speaker 2 (48:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (48:04):
People tend to think I'm the oldest, know, so I.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
Got to get it off of me. I'm just going
to toss it to you.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
But honestly, though, like that is a huge, you know,
badge of honor and respect from the organization and peers.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
Like how does that feel.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
Like knowing that you've been a part of this organization
for the past, you know, thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (48:29):
I mean, we're definitely blessed to like you know, Court
kind of touched on it, you know, doesn't touch on it,
like like moving your family around, Like we've been blessed
to be in one place, Like all my kids have
been born in Cleveland, Like there's there's no matter how
long we're here, Like Cleveland's always going to have a
part in our life, like a part of our family history.
Like it's just it's just gonna be a part of
(48:49):
us now forever. So like it's it's always gonna have
a spot in our heart. And and like you guys
were saying, like the fans, you can't beat them, Like
it don't matter how cold it is, don't matter if
it's reigning or like they're out there and like especially
like coming from the seasons where you know, things weren't
necessarily going great to like where they are now, Like
(49:09):
it's definitely like a you have like a blessed feeling
of like you realize, like wins are winds are hard
to get, you know what I mean, And so like
now that we have like a team with some talent
that can really do something, you know, it's just like
it's a great feeling.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
Yeah, yeah, I love it. Man.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
I just got one last question for you guys. We
call this our dog moment, and it really speaks to
being able to overcome an obstacle, a challenge. You know,
like I said earlier, there is no straight line, you know,
to reach in the top of that mountain, right and
(49:47):
knowing that we are one percenter and we didn't get
here on an easy track. So if you can think
of like that one moment in your career or even
in life where you had to channel that inner dog
that lives inside of all of us, what would that be.
Speaker 5 (50:07):
I mean, tell me if I'm on the right track here.
I mean, for me, it was like at one point
in my career, I had gotten I was with Dallas
my first two camps. The second camp I got cut
and I didn't I didn't play in the preseason. I
got cut before the games, and I was a free
agent for ten months, sitting here called, didn't hear nothing.
I thought I was probably done. Got a random call
(50:29):
from the Patriots. They had a scout in Tampa who
called me, except meet me at this part.
Speaker 2 (50:33):
We're gonna do a workout.
Speaker 5 (50:34):
I was like, cool, you know, almost almost didn't bring
a football because I thought it was an NFL workout
or footballs. But it's a good thing I did because
he didn't have football. He grabbed a lady who was
playing basketball to come catch my snaps and I ended
(50:56):
up getting signed off of that.
Speaker 6 (50:57):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (50:58):
Got cut two weeks later, and I thought at that point,
I was like, I'm going to down school, like I'm done.
Speaker 2 (51:03):
Like and got called from Jacksonville. A couple of weeks later.
Speaker 5 (51:08):
I'm in the library studying up for my exam, and
I didn't even answer the phone because I was like, finally,
like set my life a certain way, like I'm moving on.
Immediately called my girlfriend now wife, and was like, Jacksonville's
calling me, Like what do I do? And she was like,
what do you mean, what are you gonna do? I
was like, I want to go to dinn school now,
like I'm moving on. She was like you're gonna regret
that for the rest of your life. And I went
(51:30):
to Jacksonville, had the best camp of my life at
the time. Yeah, and started making practice squads and eventually
ended up here.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Yeah. So yeah, that was a big, big moment for me.
Speaker 4 (51:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (51:43):
Going into my third season, I was in another competition.
This is actually the first season I haven't had another
punter ink camp. It's weird. And going into my third season,
Buffalo is a very very high competitive team. They got
competitions going on all the time throughout the day OTA's
training camp. That's just what they do. And you know,
(52:04):
they pushed us a lot, and you know, I didn't
have a great second season. You know, a lot of
weather that we dealt with. And going into my third season,
it was kind of you know, last year rookie contract
make or break basically, you know, and the guy was
he was real good, best punter I competed against, you
know at the time. Somehow, you know, beat him out.
(52:26):
And it was during that COVID year, so we didn't
have like a real training camp preseason and all that.
They cut him and I thought, okay, cool, like I
got it, and then they signed another punter like a
day later or something like that, and it just kind
of felt like no matter what I did, I was
always having to fight. No matter what I performed, They're
always gonna do something. And so it was like at
that point, it's calling kind of like you know what,
(52:46):
like if I'm not gonna worry about it, I'm just
gonna do my thing, gonna work hard. They bring someone
else in, you know, they're just wasting their time. Basically.
It's kind of how I took it, and you know,
ended up beating them out led the league and punting
that year and signs that was good.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
Professionally. I'd say in twenty fourteen, I was out of
the league for like fifteen weeks, which like like you're
sitting at home then, like I was doing PTE, trying
to get right, and I finally get healthy with three
weeks left in the season, and I tell my agent
to like, hey, if anybody's interested, to tell them I'm
healthy enough to do a workout, because I didn't do
(53:28):
a workout earlier because I knew if I wasn't healthy.
You know, the NFL's a small place anyway, but especially
in the specialist community, like you said earlier, there's only
there's only so many coordinators, there's only so many players.
And I knew if I put a bad look on
tape in a tryout, that word we'll get around. So
I wanted to be healthy, So I got healthy. Finally
had him put word out, had to try out with
(53:50):
the Saints, and they end up signing me to pea
squad the last two weeks of that season. But it
was a long road when you're on the on the
couch and you're like, well, uh, there's times where it's like,
I don't know if this football thing is gonna work out,
you know, as you could try to do everything you
can't you can do within your control, but you just
(54:11):
there's questions, you know.
Speaker 6 (54:12):
And so.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
I would say that that that timeframe of trying to
get healthy and trying and the question of hey, is
this thing going to happen? You know, is a and
now to fast forward and look back on it, it's
I don't know, it's cool, it's cool look back on
on those moments and it kind of you said a
phrase earlier, but basically it was like, how how those
(54:35):
moments tough times helped make like right now so much sweeter?
You know, and you didn't say it quite that way,
but it was something it was yours, I think nicer.
But yeah, i'd say that. I'd say that, and then
personally i'd say, uh, Like, my son is special needs,
he's on the autism spectrum, and I think, uh, to
(54:56):
get well my and my wife is an all star,
she's like a hero of mine. But as a father,
when that happens, I think you have a picture of
what life will look like like as a dad. Like
you're like, man, I'm gonna play catch with my son
in the front yard. I'm gonna do with these things.
And it's not that he can't accomplish those things at
some point maybe, but it's just understanding that, hey, life
(55:16):
is gonna look different. It's not it's not better or worse.
It's just different, and we're gonna enjoy like the gifts
in the moments we have, even though it's different than
the picture of the life that you had in your
mind beforehand, if that makes sense. So I'd say just
gearing up for fatherhood is a what is it called
the dog moment? The dog moment, just like like, hey,
(55:36):
like being a present father every day, Like like I
think we all try to be.
Speaker 1 (55:42):
No, man, it's appreciated each for sharing, and it's it's
beauty in all of our struggle.
Speaker 4 (55:48):
You know what I'm saying. But that's it's a part
of us.
Speaker 1 (55:51):
It lives within us, and it's made us who we
all are sitting here today.
Speaker 4 (55:56):
So much respect.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
Before we get out of here, we got some questions
from a few of our fans.
Speaker 4 (56:04):
I'm just gonna just give y'all one apiece.
Speaker 1 (56:08):
Yeah, he's a quick hitter, he's a easy you know
as nothing. Yeah, yeah, lighthearted fun. Let's go, let's go
have averse order here. We're gonna start with with who's
the funniest guy on the team?
Speaker 3 (56:21):
Right now?
Speaker 6 (56:21):
It's say James.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
I feel like it's not even that close for sure,
so funny man.
Speaker 6 (56:29):
I love him?
Speaker 4 (56:31):
Yeah, I would agree.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
I would agree.
Speaker 1 (56:33):
And that was from Aiden Blandon. He asked, who's the
funniest guy on the team. This is from Noah Boltonly,
what is your what is that personal goal for this
season for you?
Speaker 6 (56:47):
Be a first team All Pro? It's been close a
couple of times, so I think this might be leader.
Let's do it.
Speaker 4 (56:53):
Manifest, all right, Charlie.
Speaker 1 (56:59):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
This is from looks like I can't tell what this is.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
But we're just gonna we just what is the what
is the matchup you're most excited for this year?
Speaker 2 (57:13):
I always get excited to play the Ravens.
Speaker 6 (57:15):
Man.
Speaker 2 (57:16):
Always it's between the Ravens and the Steelers. But I
always excited keep it in the divisional Yeah, yeah, I
like it, man. That is That is all we have
for today.
Speaker 1 (57:27):
I appreciate you guys for man taking some time out
for you know what I'm saying, everybody to get to
know you just a little bit more.
Speaker 8 (57:35):
So.
Speaker 4 (57:36):
It was an honor and the pleasure. Appreciate y'all.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
We have released the dogs and that's all we have
for today. Uh this is your host O g Rod
and tune in next time to the Dog's Only podcast.
Speaker 6 (57:49):
H
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The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.