On this episode of Rams Revealed, Los Angeles Rams rookie safety Jaylen McCollough talks about his friendship with outside linebacker Byron Young at the University of Tennessee, what it was like to defeat the University of Alabama in college, what he’s thankful for this holiday season, his mentality as a ball hawk, growing up in Georgia, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone, and welcome back to RAMS Reveal,
presented by Sleep Number, the Rams Sleep and Wellness partner.
I'm JB. Long and we are so grateful for you
for supporting this show now and it's seventh season. And
our guest this week getting set for Week thirteen is
a rookie defensive back. We welcome Jalen Tank mccullem. We'll
talk about that nickname of course. Yes, you're twenty four
(00:27):
years old this fall in the middle of his rookie season.
Nice to meet you. That's probably the untold story of
RAMS Reveal because a lot of times this is the
first time I get to meet some leg sir. Sorry
to bring you in off the back of a loss
that happened sometimes tough one against Philadelphia, and I know
you only played about a dozen defensive snaps in this one,
but what do you make of it?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Like you said, this is a tough loss. That's a good,
good football team. There's not more so that they beat us.
We kind of beat ourselves on and that's what we're getting,
you know, getting back to going through the film, getting
ready for another week, got New Orleans coming up, so
that's the focus now.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Sekwon Barkley's for real? Was it like to see it
up close in person?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
That's a real dude, man.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, you hear the stories and you hear certain
people talk about them, you watch it on film, you
see them spin, move and jump over and got backwards on.
But then you see him in real life and you
know that's that's real. Do NFL running back right there?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So I thought you had that pump block.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Nah, man, let's close. Let's not talk about it. Let's not. No.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I was about if I would I don't even know
how close. Like I was so close that I don't
even know how.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Close I could have Celtic.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It was one of those you know, next one I'm
gonna get it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Was there anything you could have done differently?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Did you take it? Yeah? I got the coaching points on.
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
The biggest thing was just you know, late hands. I
kind of swatted out it a little bit time and
thing and then you know, just keep my eyes on.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
A black point black spot. So just little stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So with that loss, the Rams fall below five hundred
five and six. Still a half dozen games to go, though,
Do you have any sense of the division standings playoff
framework or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I know the divisions wide open, and that's you know,
our come focus right now.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So the reason I asked because Pooka made ways by
saying he didn't even know the rams were in the
NFC West.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So I had to. I had to.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I had to educate myself on all the divisions and
all of that. So coming in, I kind of you know,
NFC West, San franc Seattle, Arizona.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So do taste of some new rivalris? I know you
got plenty coming over the country. Surely you've been to
New Orleans, right or at least Baton Rouge for for
an sec rud.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I've been to Baton Rouge.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I have never been to the Superdome. No, it's quite
an environment, maybe similar akin to what you experienced there
against LSU. And they got a couple of alls on
the team, one of the all time greats recently Taylor.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yes, indeed so me and Tay. Tay was a year older,
so he came in twenty eighteen. I came in twenty nineteen,
and you know, just being at Tennessee with him and
you know we actually sat next to each other and
meetings man and just getting a game from him, you know,
him being the older guy. He came in, he played
as a freshman, and then I get there next year
(03:00):
and you know, started playing as a freshman. So just
being under his wing, just you know, understanding the process
and you know what it takes to be successful at
the college level.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know, we really had a good relationship on that.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
What's amazing about the league is any time you put
a strength or a defficiency on tape, the next week
gives you a chance to solve for And you go
from Saquon to Kamara in the Saints Russian attack. I
know you haven't begun your preparation yet, but how anxious
do you feel like this defense is to make amends?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah, man, we're ready to get back out there and
put our brand of football on tape.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
A lot of us feel like that.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
You know what you what you all saw on Sunday
wasn't really rams defense, and we're ready to go out
there and then put it on display.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tell me about your brand of defense. How would you
describe your role on that side of the football. I've
been trying to pin it down, but I've seen you
in the box, have seen you in the slot of
seen you free safety.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, my role, man, I just I just do where
they what they tell me to do. Man, lined up,
try to make the most of my opportunity.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
You make plays.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I like to you know, as far as my game,
I like to think I'm very versatile. I had to
do to play in the box or play in the
deep path for the deep post.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And you know the.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Area I'm really trying to improve it is my slot
coverage and you know, being in the slot, being sticky
in and man coverage. So just being versatile, just being physical,
you know what. I'm just just being out there being
a playmaker.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I was gonna say, did you mention your hands anywhere
along the way.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
There, because you know, strike blocks and catch a few
picks here, and that's the part I'm trying to get
to here.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Like your interception per snap ratio is outrageous. Yea four
takeaways and I count one hundred and sixty four snaps
for audience. That's about a quarter of the rams defensive plays.
The phrase I keep hearing is living right, living right,
Living right?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Mean, oh, just doing what is supposed to do, doing
everything that you can control, and you know, letting everything
else just falling into place. On preparation, you know, mental, physical, emotional,
you know, just just really being president and everything that
I'm doing, you know here at the facility at home
(04:59):
and the weight room in the training room, just really
being intentional and being being president.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Everything.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Definitely made your way on special teams. But in week
five you get a chance on defense. Jordan Love throws
you one thing. It's another volunteer. With that pressure got
to you got to what happens do you keep that
game ball? Does it make it the trophy case?
Speaker 3 (05:22):
How does that go?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
You got to keep all of them. You got to
keep all of them, especially you know rookie year. You
know you're making you're making some plays. So for sure
going to keep all of the interception balls. All of
those are going to go back to my parents' house
in Georgia, you know, and it's just just fun to have,
fun to look at, and you know, when it's all
said and done, you'll have those memories to look back on.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So you get that bye week, like a couple extra
days for that highlight to play in your friends and
family circle. But then you come off the by and
you get two more Yeah, living right, and then week
aided Seattle of course, I know that's Cam Kinchen's game. Yeah,
but before he got going in that fourth quarter in
that red zone, you had another one off the tip trip.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Sir.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, it's just you know, just trying to be in
the right spot at the right time, and you know,
just making the most opportunity. Do you see the ball
in their tips and overthrows, need those all the time,
and you know, just being in the right spot at
the right time, the ball just finds you.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
It's not an accident though, it's it's your reputation. You
set a new Tennessee record for career starts, fifty one
of them. Throughout your ball's tenure, you had two picks
I read in your freshman spring game.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Wow, where did you get all of this Google? Okay?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, but yeah, right, I mean that was like a
foreshadowing of what was to come. Yeah, your defensive grade
by Pro Football Focus let all sec safeties. You had
to pick six in college? Did you have hopes of
being drafted? Were you surprised not to hear your name called?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You know, growing up you always want to hear your
name called.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
You know, that's I wasn't part of my story, but
you know, I'm here in LA and I'm happy to
be here.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
What do you remember about that draft weekend process? Like
after that seventh round is done and the phone starts
ringing and you and your representatives are talking to some options.
What made that the right fit?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Well, just talking to my agent, the opportunity to come
in and produce and perform, really, you know, and from
the scheme.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
I played in in college.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
It kind of it's kind of similar, similar scheme, so,
you know, it just it just felt right and I
didn't I don't like being cold. So a couple of
the options were up north. I was like, we're gonna
try out LA. So worked out and you know, just
exciting and glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
And you're kind of picking a place to spend at
least your first off season program, like, because any number
of things can happen when you're trying to make a
team as an undrafted How do you think you made
your mark and earned your spot on the fifty three?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Just my approach, my professionalism, just coming in to work
every day on asking the right questions and really just
putting your head down and going to work. I feel
like that's all you really can do, you know, just
coming in undrafted, you know, and this is a it's
a dream man, you know, just to be considered one
of the best and to play in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So why not make the most of it? Why not,
you know, go all in and give it, y'all.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
So did you have a moment where you thought, Okay,
I belong here, like I can do this, this is
what I'm used to. I know that my my talent
measures up.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
I had that moment in college.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I always knew I could play at the highest stage,
you know, even when I was like a kid, like,
I always knew I had the talents and abilities. And
then it was just putting the work in day in
and day out. And then I don't know, man, Like
my senior year, I just believe, like everything really started
(08:51):
to click and I played my best ball my senior year,
and you know, just in the preseason, everything fell right.
I was able to understand the scheme and figure out,
you know, how things are supposed to flow as far
as you know the defense man, and you know, everything
just fell right.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
If you can do it at the highest level of college,
the secon, yeah, that's got to instill some confidence.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, yeah, And it's really just talking to my defensive
coordinator at Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
His name is Tim Banks. He will he will always
preach be a pro before you're pro.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
When I think that was just the approach just going
into my senior year, I just just attack.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
It as a pro.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
And you know, those habits kind of roll over and
you want to build on those habits once you get
to the NFL. And that's just really kind of what
I've been focused on.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
We touched on b Y a little bit earlier, but
his story is one of the all time raids in
Ram's history, and Rams Revealed History loved telling that on
this platform. What was it like seeing him come through, thrive,
get drafted, have a great rookie season as someone who
kind of knew that backstory.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, man, it was. It was great. And you know, just.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Going back to Tennessee, man, like once once he got
picked up and once your story got out there, man,
we all were just so proud of him, so ecstatic
for him, man, because that's the that's the truth testimony
of having faith and staying down and trusting yourself. And
you know, as I can see, man wise a dog
and I'm just so happy for him, and I'm really
(10:24):
proud of him because I saw the way he worked
in Knoxville and at Tennessee Man, and just to see
everything payoff here on the biggest stage, it's a real testament.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I hear, your balls need to win this weekend, win
and get in at matt Man.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I have. I have great confidence in those guys though.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
You know, Vand's actually pretty good this year, so it'll
be It'll be a tough, tough one, just like all
SCC games are, but I know we'll pull it out.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
How did that beating of Alabama go down? Because it
had been what fifteen tries.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Or like it was a fifteen year losing streak and
we beat him on the last second field goal.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
So it was crazy. Uh. I just remember like seeing
a sea of orange just rushed the field as the
as the kick went over, and it was crazy, Like
I'll never forget that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Yeah, Kneeland Stadium, I know you're on the field, not
in the upper deck. It is the steepest stadium I've
ever been in. Like it feels like if you trip
coming down those stereo up on the fifty yard line.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So man, yeah, it's I say this all the time,
and it's nothing like like kneeling. I had the opportunity
to actually go to the roof of the stadium. You know,
they had recruits there and all of that. So I
was able to go to like the very top of
the stadium and look down beautiful beautiful stadium, beautiful beautiful place. Uh,
Knoxville holds a special place of my art.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
So and Rocky Top gets in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Nah, your here in the middle of the night. Here,
it's over it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Time Now for our segment we call the Wine Down.
It's brought to you weekly by Sleep Number, and we
take a look in rams revealed at how we can
get inside into sleep and recovery, how it impacts performance
in the NFL. Because it's a holiday week, I thought
we'd take a little bit of a different spin on it, right,
Like food, nutritions are part of recovery. Right, So why
don't we assemble the ideal Thanksgiving plate? And I'm going
(12:14):
to give you four items, one for each of your interceptions.
Can you your four item plate? Dessert is optional. You
can use it or not use it.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I'm not going to use any dessert. You have to
start off. I have to start off with the mac
and cheese. I can't leave out the mac and cheese.
You gotta have the yams, the sweet potatoes, you know,
gotta have those. I gotta have some some some collar
greens I need. I gotta have the greens.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Uh My mom would be mad if if I have
made a plate with no greens on it.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Now before you make your fourth and final pick, there's
no protein on this plate so far you go with that?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
What all I say? Mac and zeese? Oh yeah, the
protein was coming least.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You gotta come on, no judgment. You don't have to
go bird now.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I gotta have a bird.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, I gotta have some type of protein on there.
You know where they be like turkey here, you know him,
depending on you know what.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
You and is the first serving the best or does
it get better with age? Like you know, second past after.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
It's really that first place you make after the nap,
you know, like you've had that plate and then you
go take a nap and then you wake up and
it's like second plate.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
It's like, yeah, where does Thanksgiving land in your holiday
power rankings?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
What are like do I get like three? Three? Okay,
it's up there.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
It's probably up there, like two, yeah, only behind.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Valentine's Day. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, are you a romantic?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
You just spread love? I'm full of love, so you know,
just spread love like what not? Well, we all created
to love.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And to be loved, So.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I am not sure I've ever heard of Valentine Day,
ones holiday. I mean, it is surprising us. This is
why we have rams revealed the important stuff. What are
you thankful for?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Thankful life, Thankful opportunity. Thank you for my family, you know,
my my teammates, my brothers. I come in and go
to work with each and every day.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
A really a lot to be thankful for.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Man Like, I could go on and on, but you know,
I'm just thankful for my life and my freedom, you know,
thankful for the people who've been around all of these
all of these years to see me accomplish my dreams.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
A lot of those people are in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well you know, Powder Springs are still They're like right
right next to each other.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So kind of Atlanta, Metro Metro Atlanta. So tell me
about Hill Grove High. I was looking at the notable alumni,
my goodness, Bradley, Chuck, Evan Ingram, so many others. Colin Sexton,
former NBA first round pick Jazz. Do they recruit there, Nah?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Actually so most of them are just you know, they
can up through the program. No, And it's it's really
it's a lot of talent that comes through, not only
hill Grove, but just that Metrolane area. And you know,
it was just we're just fortunate to have a lot
of guys come through.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
He'll grove so amazing. You're joining that list for sure.
There's a couple of questions about the nickname. Your last name, Tank.
It's trademarked, like look at his social it's got that. Yeah,
don't touch it.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
No, do not touch that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Family friends, Where does it come from?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Dad?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
So you know, I was I was a quite large toddler.
Some people might say, how.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Large are we talking here?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
That was pretty big, you know, bigger than most man.
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I just I used to run around the house a lot,
you know, just like knocking stuff over, playing football in
the house. And then when I actually started playing football
and I started hitting people, it kind of stuck. And
you know, twenty some years later, everybody knows me it's Tank.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So okay, rams, fans can call you Tank, I mean yeah,
they can come me Tank, all right? And then how
often does your last name get misspelled? I feel like
I've been guilty of it a few times. Thankfully, I
have to say names more than I have to spell them.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
But because you know, it's a it's a common spelling,
it's a you instead of oh, so it kind of
gets messed up quite a lot. But I've had to
correct a couple of people, you know, just on my
social media using using the name but.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
M c c O L l O U g h
oh yeah, the U follows the second. Oh all right
mccullor a parting gift which is not really a parting
gift because you can't take it.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Sorry.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
But each week on RAMS revealed our amazing video training
Fair does a grease sports sketch of our guest because
of course your turn, and uh, we'll have you sign
it before you leave.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Shout out Fair man. I need to I need to
meet Fair because looking over at you did this, okay,
yeah you got any artistic talent, not at all, but
that that's something like I would want to do, like
drawing or something you got.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
The widow's peaked down at all, usually have waves but
you know, I'm out the helmet and shout out fear.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
You have to be blessed to have a widows speak
from experience.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah, yeah, they say, like it's something special about the
widow speak.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
And then you got the pick six. Is this you? No? Oh, okay,
we'll pretend it is.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
How does thirty nine sit you?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It was? It was.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It was an adjustment because I also used to you know,
my single digit, but you know, you make the number.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
The number doesn't make you so.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Tank good to meet you. Wish a very happy Thanksgiving,
a successful trip to New Orleans finished strongly. Thank you
all right, your rookie season to all of you. We
wish you a happy Thanksgiving as well, and once again
thank you for supporting Rams revealed as always presented by
sleep number
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone, and welcome back to RAMS Reveal,
presented by Sleep Number, the Rams Sleep and Wellness partner.
I'm JB. Long and we are so grateful for you
for supporting this show now and it's seventh season. And
our guest this week getting set for Week thirteen is
a rookie defensive back. We welcome Jalen Tank mccullem. We'll
talk about that nickname of course. Yes, you're twenty four
(00:27):
years old this fall in the middle of his rookie season.
Nice to meet you. That's probably the untold story of
RAMS Reveal because a lot of times this is the
first time I get to meet some leg sir. Sorry
to bring you in off the back of a loss
that happened sometimes tough one against Philadelphia, and I know
you only played about a dozen defensive snaps in this one,
but what do you make of it?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Like you said, this is a tough loss. That's a good,
good football team. There's not more so that they beat us.
We kind of beat ourselves on and that's what we're getting,
you know, getting back to going through the film, getting
ready for another week, got New Orleans coming up, so
that's the focus now.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Sekwon Barkley's for real? Was it like to see it
up close in person?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
That's a real dude, man.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, you hear the stories and you hear certain
people talk about them, you watch it on film, you
see them spin, move and jump over and got backwards on.
But then you see him in real life and you
know that's that's real. Do NFL running back right there?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So I thought you had that pump block.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Nah, man, let's close. Let's not talk about it. Let's not. No.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I was about if I would I don't even know
how close. Like I was so close that I don't
even know how.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Close I could have Celtic.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It was one of those you know, next one I'm
gonna get it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Was there anything you could have done differently?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Did you take it? Yeah? I got the coaching points on.
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
The biggest thing was just you know, late hands. I
kind of swatted out it a little bit time and
thing and then you know, just keep my eyes on.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
A black point black spot. So just little stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So with that loss, the Rams fall below five hundred
five and six. Still a half dozen games to go, though,
Do you have any sense of the division standings playoff
framework or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I know the divisions wide open, and that's you know,
our come focus right now.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So the reason I asked because Pooka made ways by
saying he didn't even know the rams were in the
NFC West.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So I had to. I had to.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I had to educate myself on all the divisions and
all of that. So coming in, I kind of you know,
NFC West, San franc Seattle, Arizona.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So do taste of some new rivalris? I know you
got plenty coming over the country. Surely you've been to
New Orleans, right or at least Baton Rouge for for
an sec rud.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I've been to Baton Rouge.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I have never been to the Superdome. No, it's quite
an environment, maybe similar akin to what you experienced there
against LSU. And they got a couple of alls on
the team, one of the all time greats recently Taylor.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yes, indeed so me and Tay. Tay was a year older,
so he came in twenty eighteen. I came in twenty nineteen,
and you know, just being at Tennessee with him and
you know we actually sat next to each other and
meetings man and just getting a game from him, you know,
him being the older guy. He came in, he played
as a freshman, and then I get there next year
(03:00):
and you know, started playing as a freshman. So just
being under his wing, just you know, understanding the process
and you know what it takes to be successful at
the college level.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know, we really had a good relationship on that.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
What's amazing about the league is any time you put
a strength or a defficiency on tape, the next week
gives you a chance to solve for And you go
from Saquon to Kamara in the Saints Russian attack. I
know you haven't begun your preparation yet, but how anxious
do you feel like this defense is to make amends?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah, man, we're ready to get back out there and
put our brand of football on tape.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
A lot of us feel like that.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
You know what you what you all saw on Sunday
wasn't really rams defense, and we're ready to go out
there and then put it on display.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tell me about your brand of defense. How would you
describe your role on that side of the football. I've
been trying to pin it down, but I've seen you
in the box, have seen you in the slot of
seen you free safety.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, my role, man, I just I just do where
they what they tell me to do. Man, lined up,
try to make the most of my opportunity.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
You make plays.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I like to you know, as far as my game,
I like to think I'm very versatile. I had to
do to play in the box or play in the
deep path for the deep post.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And you know the.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Area I'm really trying to improve it is my slot
coverage and you know, being in the slot, being sticky
in and man coverage. So just being versatile, just being physical,
you know what. I'm just just being out there being
a playmaker.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I was gonna say, did you mention your hands anywhere
along the way.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
There, because you know, strike blocks and catch a few
picks here, and that's the part I'm trying to get
to here.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Like your interception per snap ratio is outrageous. Yea four
takeaways and I count one hundred and sixty four snaps
for audience. That's about a quarter of the rams defensive plays.
The phrase I keep hearing is living right, living right,
Living right?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Mean, oh, just doing what is supposed to do, doing
everything that you can control, and you know, letting everything
else just falling into place. On preparation, you know, mental, physical, emotional,
you know, just just really being president and everything that
I'm doing, you know here at the facility at home
(04:59):
and the weight room in the training room, just really
being intentional and being being president.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Everything.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Definitely made your way on special teams. But in week
five you get a chance on defense. Jordan Love throws
you one thing. It's another volunteer. With that pressure got
to you got to what happens do you keep that
game ball? Does it make it the trophy case?
Speaker 3 (05:22):
How does that go?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
You got to keep all of them. You got to
keep all of them, especially you know rookie year. You
know you're making you're making some plays. So for sure
going to keep all of the interception balls. All of
those are going to go back to my parents' house
in Georgia, you know, and it's just just fun to have,
fun to look at, and you know, when it's all
said and done, you'll have those memories to look back on.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So you get that bye week, like a couple extra
days for that highlight to play in your friends and
family circle. But then you come off the by and
you get two more Yeah, living right, and then week
aided Seattle of course, I know that's Cam Kinchen's game. Yeah,
but before he got going in that fourth quarter in
that red zone, you had another one off the tip trip.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Sir.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, it's just you know, just trying to be in
the right spot at the right time, and you know,
just making the most opportunity. Do you see the ball
in their tips and overthrows, need those all the time,
and you know, just being in the right spot at
the right time, the ball just finds you.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
It's not an accident though, it's it's your reputation. You
set a new Tennessee record for career starts, fifty one
of them. Throughout your ball's tenure, you had two picks
I read in your freshman spring game.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Wow, where did you get all of this Google? Okay?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, but yeah, right, I mean that was like a
foreshadowing of what was to come. Yeah, your defensive grade
by Pro Football Focus let all sec safeties. You had
to pick six in college? Did you have hopes of
being drafted? Were you surprised not to hear your name called?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
You know, growing up you always want to hear your
name called.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
You know, that's I wasn't part of my story, but
you know, I'm here in LA and I'm happy to
be here.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
What do you remember about that draft weekend process? Like
after that seventh round is done and the phone starts
ringing and you and your representatives are talking to some options.
What made that the right fit?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Well, just talking to my agent, the opportunity to come
in and produce and perform, really, you know, and from
the scheme.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
I played in in college.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
It kind of it's kind of similar, similar scheme, so,
you know, it just it just felt right and I
didn't I don't like being cold. So a couple of
the options were up north. I was like, we're gonna
try out LA. So worked out and you know, just
exciting and glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
And you're kind of picking a place to spend at
least your first off season program, like, because any number
of things can happen when you're trying to make a
team as an undrafted How do you think you made
your mark and earned your spot on the fifty three?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Just my approach, my professionalism, just coming in to work
every day on asking the right questions and really just
putting your head down and going to work. I feel
like that's all you really can do, you know, just
coming in undrafted, you know, and this is a it's
a dream man, you know, just to be considered one
of the best and to play in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So why not make the most of it? Why not,
you know, go all in and give it, y'all.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
So did you have a moment where you thought, Okay,
I belong here, like I can do this, this is
what I'm used to. I know that my my talent
measures up.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
I had that moment in college.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I always knew I could play at the highest stage,
you know, even when I was like a kid, like,
I always knew I had the talents and abilities. And
then it was just putting the work in day in
and day out. And then I don't know, man, Like
my senior year, I just believe, like everything really started
(08:51):
to click and I played my best ball my senior year,
and you know, just in the preseason, everything fell right.
I was able to understand the scheme and figure out,
you know, how things are supposed to flow as far
as you know the defense man, and you know, everything
just fell right.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
If you can do it at the highest level of college,
the secon, yeah, that's got to instill some confidence.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, yeah, And it's really just talking to my defensive
coordinator at Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
His name is Tim Banks. He will he will always
preach be a pro before you're pro.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
When I think that was just the approach just going
into my senior year, I just just attack.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
It as a pro.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
And you know, those habits kind of roll over and
you want to build on those habits once you get
to the NFL. And that's just really kind of what
I've been focused on.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
We touched on b Y a little bit earlier, but
his story is one of the all time raids in
Ram's history, and Rams Revealed History loved telling that on
this platform. What was it like seeing him come through, thrive,
get drafted, have a great rookie season as someone who
kind of knew that backstory.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, man, it was. It was great. And you know, just.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Going back to Tennessee, man, like once once he got
picked up and once your story got out there, man,
we all were just so proud of him, so ecstatic
for him, man, because that's the that's the truth testimony
of having faith and staying down and trusting yourself. And
you know, as I can see, man wise a dog
and I'm just so happy for him, and I'm really
(10:24):
proud of him because I saw the way he worked
in Knoxville and at Tennessee Man, and just to see
everything payoff here on the biggest stage, it's a real testament.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I hear, your balls need to win this weekend, win
and get in at matt Man.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I have. I have great confidence in those guys though.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
You know, Vand's actually pretty good this year, so it'll
be It'll be a tough, tough one, just like all
SCC games are, but I know we'll pull it out.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
How did that beating of Alabama go down? Because it
had been what fifteen tries.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Or like it was a fifteen year losing streak and
we beat him on the last second field goal.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
So it was crazy. Uh. I just remember like seeing
a sea of orange just rushed the field as the
as the kick went over, and it was crazy, Like
I'll never forget that.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Yeah, Kneeland Stadium, I know you're on the field, not
in the upper deck. It is the steepest stadium I've
ever been in. Like it feels like if you trip
coming down those stereo up on the fifty yard line.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So man, yeah, it's I say this all the time,
and it's nothing like like kneeling. I had the opportunity
to actually go to the roof of the stadium. You know,
they had recruits there and all of that. So I
was able to go to like the very top of
the stadium and look down beautiful beautiful stadium, beautiful beautiful place. Uh,
Knoxville holds a special place of my art.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
So and Rocky Top gets in your head.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Nah, your here in the middle of the night. Here,
it's over it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Time Now for our segment we call the Wine Down.
It's brought to you weekly by Sleep Number, and we
take a look in rams revealed at how we can
get inside into sleep and recovery, how it impacts performance
in the NFL. Because it's a holiday week, I thought
we'd take a little bit of a different spin on it, right,
Like food, nutritions are part of recovery. Right, So why
don't we assemble the ideal Thanksgiving plate? And I'm going
(12:14):
to give you four items, one for each of your interceptions.
Can you your four item plate? Dessert is optional. You
can use it or not use it.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I'm not going to use any dessert. You have to
start off. I have to start off with the mac
and cheese. I can't leave out the mac and cheese.
You gotta have the yams, the sweet potatoes, you know,
gotta have those. I gotta have some some some collar
greens I need. I gotta have the greens.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Uh My mom would be mad if if I have
made a plate with no greens on it.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Now before you make your fourth and final pick, there's
no protein on this plate so far you go with that?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
What all I say? Mac and zeese? Oh yeah, the
protein was coming least.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You gotta come on, no judgment. You don't have to
go bird now.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I gotta have a bird.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, I gotta have some type of protein on there.
You know where they be like turkey here, you know him,
depending on you know what.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
You and is the first serving the best or does
it get better with age? Like you know, second past after.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
It's really that first place you make after the nap,
you know, like you've had that plate and then you
go take a nap and then you wake up and
it's like second plate.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
It's like, yeah, where does Thanksgiving land in your holiday
power rankings?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
What are like do I get like three? Three? Okay,
it's up there.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
It's probably up there, like two, yeah, only behind.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Valentine's Day. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, are you a romantic?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
You just spread love? I'm full of love, so you know,
just spread love like what not? Well, we all created
to love.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And to be loved, So.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I am not sure I've ever heard of Valentine Day,
ones holiday. I mean, it is surprising us. This is
why we have rams revealed the important stuff. What are
you thankful for?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Thankful life, Thankful opportunity. Thank you for my family, you know,
my my teammates, my brothers. I come in and go
to work with each and every day.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
A really a lot to be thankful for.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Man Like, I could go on and on, but you know,
I'm just thankful for my life and my freedom, you know,
thankful for the people who've been around all of these
all of these years to see me accomplish my dreams.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
A lot of those people are in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well you know, Powder Springs are still They're like right
right next to each other.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So kind of Atlanta, Metro Metro Atlanta. So tell me
about Hill Grove High. I was looking at the notable alumni,
my goodness, Bradley, Chuck, Evan Ingram, so many others. Colin Sexton,
former NBA first round pick Jazz. Do they recruit there, Nah?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Actually so most of them are just you know, they
can up through the program. No, And it's it's really
it's a lot of talent that comes through, not only
hill Grove, but just that Metrolane area. And you know,
it was just we're just fortunate to have a lot
of guys come through.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
He'll grove so amazing. You're joining that list for sure.
There's a couple of questions about the nickname. Your last name, Tank.
It's trademarked, like look at his social it's got that. Yeah,
don't touch it.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
No, do not touch that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Family friends, Where does it come from?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Dad?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
So you know, I was I was a quite large toddler.
Some people might say, how.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Large are we talking here?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
That was pretty big, you know, bigger than most man.
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
I just I used to run around the house a lot,
you know, just like knocking stuff over, playing football in
the house. And then when I actually started playing football
and I started hitting people, it kind of stuck. And
you know, twenty some years later, everybody knows me it's Tank.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So okay, rams, fans can call you Tank, I mean yeah,
they can come me Tank, all right? And then how
often does your last name get misspelled? I feel like
I've been guilty of it a few times. Thankfully, I
have to say names more than I have to spell them.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
But because you know, it's a it's a common spelling,
it's a you instead of oh, so it kind of
gets messed up quite a lot. But I've had to
correct a couple of people, you know, just on my
social media using using the name but.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
M c c O L l O U g h
oh yeah, the U follows the second. Oh all right
mccullor a parting gift which is not really a parting
gift because you can't take it.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Sorry.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
But each week on RAMS revealed our amazing video training
Fair does a grease sports sketch of our guest because
of course your turn, and uh, we'll have you sign
it before you leave.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Shout out Fair man. I need to I need to
meet Fair because looking over at you did this, okay,
yeah you got any artistic talent, not at all, but
that that's something like I would want to do, like
drawing or something you got.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
The widow's peaked down at all, usually have waves but
you know, I'm out the helmet and shout out fear.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
You have to be blessed to have a widows speak
from experience.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah, yeah, they say, like it's something special about the
widow speak.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
And then you got the pick six. Is this you? No? Oh, okay,
we'll pretend it is.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
How does thirty nine sit you?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It was? It was.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It was an adjustment because I also used to you know,
my single digit, but you know, you make the number.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
The number doesn't make you so.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Tank good to meet you. Wish a very happy Thanksgiving,
a successful trip to New Orleans finished strongly. Thank you
all right, your rookie season to all of you. We
wish you a happy Thanksgiving as well, and once again
thank you for supporting Rams revealed as always presented by
sleep number
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