June 25, 2025 • 31 mins
Amie Wells is joined by linebacker Cody Barton, punter Johnny Hekker and rookie linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo to discuss joining the Titans ahead of the upcoming season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
This is the OTP. I'm Amy Wells. Well, guys, we've
officially entered the dark days of summer, the five week
period between the end of the off season program and
before training camp. It's the calm before the storm, and
really it's not that bad. It's a chance to spend
time with family, rest and prepare for the upcoming season.
(00:32):
It's a good final reset for the players and coaches
before the final push before the regular season begins, or
this is what we tell ourselves. For us, it felt
like a really good time to dig into the archives
to share some of the conversations that we've had over
the last few months that we haven't had a chance
to share yet. There are some new faces and voices
(00:54):
to the organization that we think you should know as
we head into training camp. So the first is name
that you've heard a lot throughout the off season program,
especially if you listen to the OTP. He's a new
linebacker that the Titans brought in during free agency. He's
a guy with a lot of talent, a Super Bowl appearance,
and a whole lot of horses. Meet Cody Barton. Cody
(01:17):
Barton is one of the newest linebackers here. For the
Tennessee Titans, and we've got them right here on the OTP. Cody,
it is so good to finally have a chance to
meet you a little bit, and we're so excited to
have you here in Nashville. I feel like your career
has been a lot of cross country travel. You went
from Seattle to DC, to Denver and now to Nashville.
(01:37):
You've kind of been all over the place. Why was
Nashville such a good fit for you in this next
part of your career.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, first, they believed in me, which is good. You know,
that's a good feeling. And they wanted me, and so,
you know, I'm very blessed to, you know, find a
home here in Nashville. And the way the defense is
ran to very aggressive, the way coach Wilson runs it,
and so it's a good fit.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I feel like your your journey has been a very
interesting one because you started off your first couple of
years of your career in Seattle, big special teams player,
but didn't get as many reps as a linebacker. Finally
you got your chance, and it felt like your career
has just improved exponentially after that. In Denver, you were
playing something like ninety something percent of the defensive snaps,
(02:20):
which is wild. As your career has evolved and you've
continue to grow and get more of those reps and
get more of that opportunity to contribute, how do you
feel like you have grown as a player At the
same time, I feel I've gon a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I mean, like you said, my first three years in
Seattle just doing special teams. There was a few games
that played just when guys got hurt or something like that.
My fourth year so doing special teams, but also got
a chance to start on defense. And so I feel
like my last year in Seattle playing demons, really my
year one, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
You don't to us totally.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
But then after that I go to DC and do
one year there, then go to Denver do one year there.
But I felt my games just cap descending defensively, And
it was the same thing with my special teams. For
the first three years it was just as sending a
sending and then back down to defense as sending a sending.
So now we're going to the year four playing defense, and uh,
it's been a good journey. You know, everyone's journey is
(03:12):
their own. You come in the league having this picture
perfect plan of like I'm going to ball for four
years defense right away and then you know what I mean,
But it's never just like life. It's never that way,
you know what I mean. There's there's all these turns
and adversities and all that things. And so, you know,
I'm just fortunate to be here in Nashville, and I'm
very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Where are you hoping to make the biggest impact on defense?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Just with my leadership, you know, and just building on
the culture they have and just creating that more of
a tight knit brotherhood and just you know, helping build
the culture that.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
We have here.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I think you're interesting because you're from Utah. Originally you
went to school at the University of Utah, and your
whole family, it feels like, went there's what was there
ever a world that existed where you were not going
to be a ute?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
No?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
No, yes. So my mom and dad both played at Utah,
so I met and they ended up staying in Utah.
And so then when we were all born, our goal was,
you know, we want to go play with the you
like our parents did. So my older brother went there,
then I went there, that my sister played vollaball there,
and then my little brother's a senior there.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh my gosh, he's the last one. It's so cool though,
to have a family legacy and to really be like
all in on a school and just a region. That's
such a neat thing to have. But also there's got
to be a lot of competition within your family. If
all of your siblings went there and played sports there,
I mean, that's got to be wild, right, Yeah, it's
pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I mean not just I mean we all expected we'd
go there, Like our whole dream was to go to
the You and then go pro. And I mean it
took kind of hard to explain it, just because I
grew up in it. But we all expect that out
of each other, and so to us it's not.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
As a big deal, right, that's just the stand.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, I just our standard that we have as a family.
But like, outside of going to you and all that stuff,
everything we do in our life is competitive. You know,
who's going to get to the try uck first, Who's
going to finish our food first? You know what I mean,
every little thing turns into a little competitive game and
who can win as something just there's always something find
ways to win, you know, but it's.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Fun having that standard in your house and growing up
with it to where it doesn't even feel weird to
be that competitive.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Though.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
That's got to impact the way that you not only
interact with people when you're at work, your very competitive job,
but also the way that you prepare.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Right, yeah, And I think the way we were raised
in that competitive atmosphere just it's translated not just into football,
but just into how we are, how we live our lives,
you know. Just and I think if you have a
drive and you have that competitive nature in you, it's
just not just in football alone, or it just kind
of brings out the best in you and brings up
in the best in others, you know what I mean,
just around you. And so, you know, very fortunate the
(05:47):
way our parents raised us. You know, at times it
wasn't easy. In our dad. It's pretty hard on us.
But uh, you know, at the time when I was young,
I'd be like, you know, I feel like I didn't
like my dad at the time. But looking back, as
you mature, right, you just you realize that they want
the best for you, and that's why they were pushing.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Us as such a competitor Is that why you like
a more aggressive style of defense.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah. And also I think that's due to personality. I
feel like I have a pretty aggressive personality, but I
don't know, I've always been pretty aggressive, but I don't know.
Maybe maybe it does, I'm not sure.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, I've got to ask you. You have a ranch,
grew up on a ranch? Explain your ranch? Do you
just have one?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
So we have a family ranch. Okay, that's called the
Barton Ranch in Utah. Cant dis close the location.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
That's okay, we don't need to know.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Or we middle of nowhere, Utah. But yeah, we got
a ranch out there. My dad and uncle are first
generation ranchers two thousand and one or two and two
one or two. But anyway, so we grew up. So
we grew up between the towns of Salican Park City,
which are two of the bigger towns in Utah, and
the mountains between them and uh Then the ranch from
(06:58):
there was about an hour a little over an hour away,
and so Monay through Friday was we'd go to school
in the city, do our ball, and then Friday afternoons
we're headed to the ranch. Go some say work. We
like to play out there. You know, fish, rid, horses,
all that stuff. But so it's always just been back
and forth, back and forth.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's awesome though, What a cool way to grow up
if you were playing and not working on the ranch.
But you see all of that work. What it takes
to create something like that? For those of us who
aren't from like beautiful Utah, is this like a Yellowstone situation?
What are we working with here?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That big yos thousands thousands. We're a good sized ranch though,
and you know we got thirt beded horses out there,
black angus, cattle, chicken, stuff like that. So it's a
beautiful property.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, that's amazing. Is that something that you want to
get back to at some point after your playing days
are done?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I want done playing football. I want to do horses.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Oh wow, that's awesome. Well you're in a good place.
There's tons of horses around.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I know a lot of good country here too.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah, a different different style, mountains, more humidity.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah. When I first got out here, I had no
sense of direction because there's no mountains like you have,
no you know, land mass to figure out where you're headed.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Wait a minute, Okay, I'm from Missouri, where there's no
land mass at all. You orient yourself by mountains, This
can't be a real thing.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I mean if you look like, for example, when you
get in Utah, when you land in the Sulig Valley, Okay,
there's mountains on the east and the west. And if
you just know those mountains, like anytime but day, you
just look, Okay, those mountains are okay, I know that's
east versus out here. I look around. I'm psych I
don't know trying to count.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So you've got to use like stars and random new skyscrapers.
It's fun. You'll figure it out. They're kind of like mountains. Well,
how have you liked Nashville so far? You haven't been
here for very long. But in the time that you've
spent here, have you gotten to eat some of the food,
listen to some of the music, do the Nashville things.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
We went down to me and my wife last Sunday
went down and walked on Broadway.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Hm hmm.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
That was pretty chaotic.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
It's an adventure.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It's cool though, looking at the bars, you know, they're
all playing cover songs that you know, we like country music.
So I saw that. That was the only time I've
been in the city. But besides that, you know, we've
hit just little diners or little steakhouses here and there.
We're read me eaters in our household. Yeah, but Nashville's nice.
You know, it's humid, like I was saying earlier, and
they said it gets a lot worse. Yes, but to me,
(09:25):
it's very humid coming from you toe where it's dry.
But it's beautifly here. A lot of vegetation, really green,
a lot of water. But people drive a little crazy
out here, though.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
They do drive a little crazy.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to, I think.
But Cody, we are so happy to have you here
in Nashville. Thank you for taking the time to talk
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apply now back to the OTP. Another free agent acquisition
(10:22):
who is making his presence known right away is punter
Johnny Hecker. He's talking about why Nashville was the perfect
fit for his family, his relationship with special teams coordinator
John Fossil, and what keeps him coming back for more
football year after year. Guys, I'm so excited to introduce
to you the new punter for the Tennessee Titans, Johnny Hecker.
(10:45):
I'm so excited that you're here, and I think a
lot of people are excited that you are a Tennessee
Titan now. So I guess the natural first question is
why was this program the right fit for you at
this point in your career.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yeah, yeah, it really is. I really attributed to God
opening a lot of doors that before I don't think
we're really there. And this organization has a history of
great punters, you know, Craig Hentrick, Brett Kern, Ryan Stonehouse.
I get to be a guy that can just come
in and hopefully add to that and just bring my
own skill set and personality to it. But getting to
(11:19):
come here to a town where I get to reunite
with my old special teams coordinator John Fossil. That was
huge in me coming here and having the opportunity to
be on this football program. So I'm just blessed to
be here. I think why it's the right move just
because it's where I feel called, you know, I feel
it's a great spot to come and have an impact,
(11:39):
be a veteran presence in locker room, be encouraging to
the young guys that are developing on this roster, and
just just try and do things the right way and
help raise the bar here.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
You and John Fossil, the man they call Bones, have
a great history together. You were on some very successful
special teams units, especially with the Obviously, what was it
about that group that made it it's so successful. You
guys really were breaking a lot of records, doing a
lot of great things, and obviously it's a full team
(12:13):
effort in that special teams unit.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Yeah, I think it just comes down to leadership. I
think you know another Titans nod, but Jeff Fisher was
the guy that brought Bones and me both to the
team there in Saint Louis, and Coach Fossil is just
a guy that works tirelessly to help the players around him,
be comfortable in the roles that he's going to put
him in. He's never going to ask a player to
do something that they're not comfortable or capable of, and
(12:36):
they know that. You know, he's going to communicate very well.
He's a great educator. When you're in the meeting room
and you're stimulated, you are challenged, you know, you're you're
constantly learning new things.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I've been in the league.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
You know, this'll be my fourteenth season, but I'm constantly
learning new things about the people around me, about the
process of game planning and practice development. And so it's
a deal where he holds nothing back. He's and give
everything he can to the people around him, and players
tend to really thrive off of that and take that
same energy and give it back to him. So he's
getting everything we got.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Speaking of awesome leadership, Is it true that you have
not missed a game in your entire thirteen years that
you've played in the National Football League?
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Yes, that is that is true, and that's I mean, we're.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Not drinking it here, I mean we are. You feel
good about this, but I mean that's an incredible streak.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 4 (13:29):
I mean, the NFL, it's it's it's a very physical league,
and grant grant that I do play one of the
least physical positions in that league. But you know, I've
had I've had great trainers, I've had a wife in
my corner that challenges me to make healthy decisions, you know,
to schedule the chiropractor to come over, to get people
you know, within my circle that are going to help
(13:49):
take care of my body and just do things the
right way. So I don't attribute it to anything I've done,
per se, but just a lot of great strength coaches,
great trainers, massage therapists, of a ton of people along
the way that have just contributed to my longevity and
just being available, pushing through things when you can, and
just being available as a huge asset in this league.
So I'm just trying to be that for the Titans.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Here, availability is so important and guys in the locker
room have to see something like that. A guy who's
going the extra mile, who's scheduling the appointments, who's doing
the things you need to do. Is that part of
your leadership style is not only knowing what needs to
be done, but doing it and demonstrating that for others, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Think, and just you got to let the opportunities come
do naturally to bring up, you know, maybe a suggested
path for a young guy. But I'm definitely listening for
those little moments and a little kind of Okay.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
There's my end.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
There's my end to find out about their personal life,
how they're doing with relationships around them, how they're doing,
how their body feels this offseason, what their recovery regiment's like.
But I don't want to be a guy that's going
to be like, hey, here's what I'm doing. You have
to do it this way, because there's a lot of
different ways. Everyone's body is different, their mental makeups are
different too, so a lot of people some people just
want to be a little you know, not ignorant, but
(15:00):
just hey, ignorance is bliss. I'm just going to take
care of my body. As long as i'm feel good,
I'm gon keep doing what I'm doing. But the older
you get, those margins are a lot smaller, so you
have to just be a little more on top of
your game. But i'd say my leadership style, I'm not
going to force myself on anybody. I just want to
be myself be an asset and try and help help
everybody just find those little areas in their game that
(15:21):
they can just tune up or or you know, find
those little tiny margins and improve.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
The thing that I find so interesting about you is
that every single person when it was announced that Johnny
Hecker was coming to the Tennessee Titans, every single person said, oh,
my gosh, you're gonna love him. He's a great guy.
Very few people talked about what you are able to
do on the football field, which in my mind is
(15:48):
a huge compliment, because we know you're good at what
you do on the field. It's the guy off the field.
How important is it to you that you have those
relationships that kind of reputation precede you before you walk
into a room.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
It's it's not that important to me. Not not that
not that I don't care, but I just think your
reputation is an earned thing. It's not something that I'm
gonna go ahead and try and fight for or try
and uphold or try and prove to people. I think,
you know, I serve, I serve the Lord, and I
feel like I try and just be led. You know. However,
he sees fit and It's something where I'm gonna try
(16:27):
and walk into a situation and be a reflection of
his love for those people, being encouragement to people around me,
be uplifting, be positive, try and just spread the fruit
of the spirit to people around me, and and if
it comes across in a good way, that's that's awesome,
And I hope that I can reflect that back to
the one who gives.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
It to me.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
You are very involved in serving the community in a
lot of different ways. Why is that something that you're
so passionate about.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
I think my faith plays a big part into it,
and also it's just modeled to me as a child,
my parents were very service forward within the church in
our community. We were always finding ways to you know,
we didn't have much ourselves, so we were on the
receiving end of a lot of charity and donations and
things that were given to our family. And so I
realize how much of an impact that stuff can make.
(17:15):
And so now that I'm in a position to be
the giver, it means a lot.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Really.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
You know, when you go to a community service event,
people see, oh man, these players are giving of their time,
but really you're really receiving as well, you're receiving a
lot of enrichment, a lot of perspective, and hopefully a
little humility along the way. Just you know, yes, we're
in this position to be an influence other people, but
also when you do things like that, it does kind
of good for your soul.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
And being able to reflect that to your family, now
that has to make it even a little bit sweeter.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Yeah, I have three young children, and so I'm constantly
trying to find ways to include them, you know, showing
pictures of things that we've done in the past before
they were born. Just yeah, let them know that that
being and being a person of impact is really helpful
to those around you, but also keeps you humble and
just keeps you in the right frame of mind for
(18:09):
yourself as well.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You mentioned this is your fourteenth season. What keeps you motivated,
what keeps you coming back to this game over and
over again?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
It's hits those relationships I love. I mean, I'm very competitive,
you know, I want to be the best interviewee you've
had ever.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yeah, I mean the best one today for sure. That's good.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
That is that is huge for me, and so I'm competitive.
I love just the beauty of football is there's so
many different styles and types of people and ways to
do it, and so there's so much to learn, so
many people to build those relationships with, because every play
it takes eleven of your guys to beat eleven of
(18:48):
their guys, and so the team that's more connected, more
willing to go to the extra mile for each other, has
more success than the other team on the whole. So
I just I love the game of football. I love
how you're never gonna have it perfect. There's always something
to learn, something to strive for, something to improve, and
so yeah, that's why I keep coming back.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Johnny Hicker, you are as advertised, You are wonderful. Thank
you for taking the time to be with us right
here on the OTP.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
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(19:39):
in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture
provider of the Tennessee Titans. Now back to the OTP.
All right, we want to share one final conversation with
a new Titan, but this one's a rookie. Semi Oladajo
made an appearance in our studios right here to Sension
Saint Thomas Sports Park, and we to start right off
(20:01):
the top with a very important but very basic question.
What do you want us to call you? Okay, I'm
going to attempt this and you have to be honest
with me and tell me if it's right or wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Gotcha? Got you?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Oladjo?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Pretty solid?
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay, like like an eight.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
I think I think eight is perfect.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay, now you say it.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Olada Joe, Oh, you.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Say it better. You're right?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
It is your name, right, You're right.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
That is who our guest is, right now. Femi? Do
people call you Semi? Is that what you're going by?
Are you like the full name?
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I actually do enjoy the full name, yes, but you know,
to help out society, you know, we say Femi not
funny story because my name is pretty hard to pronounce.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
You know, in middle.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
School, whenever I had a substitute teacher. You know, you
have the full roster name out, so they'd get to
my name and always butcher it Yeahanic, yeah, and it
you know, and I just say call me Moses because
that's my middle name.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
And then as I got older, I started to embracing
more and started going by Fami for short, but wanted
the full presentation.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
To be old.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Now, there is a beautiful meaning to that name. Correct,
tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
It means God loves me. That's strong, It is strong.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
It's hilarious because you know, the night I got drafted,
I think the commentator he mentioned that and he was like,
in his name is God loves me?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
You know which God loves us all? You know. It
was just hilarious. But yeah, that's what the meaning is.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
That's fantastic though. So Nigerian is that correct? Your parents
are from Nigeria?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Some of your siblings were born there. How did that
influence the way that you grew up, the way that
you were raised and maybe how are you seeing that
now as you are an adult?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah? You know, my parents.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Migrated to California in ninety six, nineteen ninety six. Before that,
they had two of my siblings, so my older brother
and my older sister. I'm the youngest of four total,
But I think overall, I think the biggest things I
learned from being a first gen child is just the
principle of hard work and discipline and structure and order
(22:31):
and how important family is. I think my parents did
a great job instealing in us foundations of having relationships
with our siblings, our brothers, sisters, and then just friends
that we met and are still friends with how to
actually build a relationship with. So I'm very grateful for it,
and it's huge in who I am today.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It seems incredibly transferable to football, being in a locker room,
being part of a team, working hard, doing your part
to help you out, having those foundations just ingrained in
who you are.
Speaker 5 (23:03):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I think like the most natural
thing is if I see someone in the locker room,
going to say what's up? Whether I know you or
I don't you know. I think even right now, you know,
in the offseason you have ninety guys, guys getting cut,
guys coming in, but I might see you for the
first time. I'm still gonna introduce myself, say hello, and
(23:24):
try to build a bond.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
When did you start playing.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Football when I was ten years old.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And immediately liked it, or we're kind of unsure.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
I loved it. Now.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
The fun thing about it, or funny thing about it
is I actually knew about football already before I played it,
because my older brother played and he played Madden, so
I played, so I was already familiar with the game.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
So are you still a Madden player now?
Speaker 5 (23:50):
Yeah, not as much as I used to be when
I was thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, But I still feel very
confident in my skills.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I feel like you might come back to it now
that you're in the game. Do you think that, I
mean you would think.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah, I see what you're saying.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
I just think, as I evolve in life and I grow,
I try to stay away from the gaming system. Not
that is nothing anything bad with it, you know, but
I'm trying to learn different things about life and just
grow as a man.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I get that. I understand that. So tell me about
your evolution in your football career a little bit. Your
playing linebacker for a really long time and then all
of a sudden you're making a change to a new position. Yeah,
what was it that was kind of the initiator for
making that change.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
Yeah, well, I take you all the way back, do it.
Manths ago when I was ten years old, my first
position was actually center. Really I played center and I
played defensive tackle. Okay, I think the following year I
played fullback in like defensive tackle in outside linebacker, and
then old line and then receiver tied in. So I've
(25:06):
kind of besides quarterback and safety in the corner, those
like the only position I haven't played. Uh, but I
think it all transfers over, you know, to some capacity
now in terms of the move to edge as of
recently in my college career, played mic my first three
(25:27):
years of college. In the first two games this last
season going into my senior year, we had a lot
of depth at the linebacker position and we were rotating
a lot and it wasn't a bad thing, but it
kind of, uh didn't allow us to have our best
eleven on the field essentially, So coach kind of proposed, hey,
(25:49):
what do you think about playing edge really just for
this week to you know, keep us all out at
the same time. And uh, we had a great difference
game and we just kind of kept taking it week
by week and now we're here.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
So and now you're here, you are in the National
Football League as an edge rusher.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Are you surprised that this is where you have ended up?
Speaker 5 (26:12):
Mmmm, that's a good questionn't. I haven't thought of it
from that perspective.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
I mean, a year ago right now, you were still
a mic linebacker.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Still a Mike linebacker. That's one hundred percent correct.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
With that being said, it is kind of surprising, you know,
But over I'm grateful. I'm just grateful for the opportunity
and definitely not the one to take it for granted,
you know, I just want to to me prove everyone
that believed me right, proved the team right, prove the
coaches right, the staff, and ultimately god, so uh, just excited.
(26:47):
It's been a great time so far with the Vets,
the rookies. It's been a great mesh.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
How fundamentally different are the two positions not tremendously.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
I think obviously has a Mike linebacker, you're going to
coverage a lot more, and you know, you have to
be a lot smarter. But I think making this transition
from edge or mic to edge was easier than what
it would be from an edge to a MIC. That's
true because as a mic, you already kind of know
what the edge is doing, you know what the back
(27:19):
end is doing. But when your edge, you primarily only
know what you're doing, you know. So for me it
was it wasn't as hard as of a transition.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
You more just now you get to do the fun
part rushing the.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Quarterbacks first, the quarterback playing the run. I'm just going downhill,
you know, And I think that's what my body's built for.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Okay, what makes you like contact like that so much?
Why are you this way?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
It's just a game of football, and I feel like
not everybody's like this, but at least for me, you know,
the more and more I loved football, notch you're gonna
love the contact of it, or at.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Least you should. So it's I mean, it's.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
You can be aggressive without having to get a chance
of going to jail, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (28:10):
So why not go smack somebody? You know? So that's
what I will say.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Some people like contact because they're angry, and that's how
they get all of that out. You seem like a
guy who likes contact because you're having fun.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
Exactly, And that's that's the usually what I tell people
because I'm not really the angry type. I don't really
hold grudges. I'll try to move on in life, you
know what I'm saying. But football, the game of football
is violent, you know. So some people are angry in life,
so that's their escape, you know. But I genuinely believe
I love the game of football, so I'm going to
(28:43):
do what it requires and be violent.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
I mean, if that's what the job requires, you gotta
do it.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
You gotta do it absolutely. So you said you're very
interested in growing and evolving as a man. What are
some of the ways that you have changed even throughout
college into now the early part of your professional career.
What are some of the ways that you have learned
and changed and involved.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
I know, for me, I'm a huge of my faith
as a Christian and just finding ways to grow in
better habits. You know, growing up in high school used
to you know, be a kid in teenager party, a
lot of things like that. So put that inside when
I got to college, and I'm still living that at
right now. Just trying to find ways to give back
(29:27):
to people in to serve in any type of way,
whether that's to my family or friends or just people
around me and my teammates, you know. And then for myself,
I would say reading more, reading more books, whether it's
spiritual books or life books, growth books. I'm reading a
few books. Boy Tim Grover right now, he's a really
(29:48):
known author. Used to be a trainer for Michael Jordan,
Kobe and Dwane Wade, and then learning about real estate
and personal training and just just a lot of different thing.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Your brain must be rolling all.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
The time, I think, so, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
What are you hoping that you can bring to this
Tennessee Titans team? What's different about you?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (30:12):
You know, I just want to be impact, impact in
the locker room, but most importantly impact on the field
with production. Find a way to get to the quarterback
cause have it, get the ball out and help the
team win.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
All right, I know you're a busy man, You've got
books to read. And before I let you go, what
should we know about you.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I'm going to come in every day to the building
and give it my all. I'm going to push my teammates,
I'm going to push myself. I'm going to make sure
I take accountability of my success and my failures. But
I'm always going to try to get better each and
every day, whether that's in football or just in life
through reading.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Reading and everything. I'm violent apparently, Femi Oladasia, thank you
so much for taking appreciate it well, guys, that's it.
Those are some of our favorite conversations from this offseason.
We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.
Don't worry, there's going to be more OTP to come,
so be sure that you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
(31:16):
I don't care where you subscribe, just do it. We
don't want you to miss a single episode. For Cody Barton,
Johnny Hecker, Femiolodejo, I'm Amy Wells. Thank you for listening
to the OTP.
This is the OTP. I'm Amy Wells. Well, guys, we've
officially entered the dark days of summer, the five week
period between the end of the off season program and
before training camp. It's the calm before the storm, and
really it's not that bad. It's a chance to spend
time with family, rest and prepare for the upcoming season.
(00:32):
It's a good final reset for the players and coaches
before the final push before the regular season begins, or
this is what we tell ourselves. For us, it felt
like a really good time to dig into the archives
to share some of the conversations that we've had over
the last few months that we haven't had a chance
to share yet. There are some new faces and voices
(00:54):
to the organization that we think you should know as
we head into training camp. So the first is name
that you've heard a lot throughout the off season program,
especially if you listen to the OTP. He's a new
linebacker that the Titans brought in during free agency. He's
a guy with a lot of talent, a Super Bowl appearance,
and a whole lot of horses. Meet Cody Barton. Cody
(01:17):
Barton is one of the newest linebackers here. For the
Tennessee Titans, and we've got them right here on the OTP. Cody,
it is so good to finally have a chance to
meet you a little bit, and we're so excited to
have you here in Nashville. I feel like your career
has been a lot of cross country travel. You went
from Seattle to DC, to Denver and now to Nashville.
(01:37):
You've kind of been all over the place. Why was
Nashville such a good fit for you in this next
part of your career.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, first, they believed in me, which is good. You know,
that's a good feeling. And they wanted me, and so,
you know, I'm very blessed to, you know, find a
home here in Nashville. And the way the defense is
ran to very aggressive, the way coach Wilson runs it,
and so it's a good fit.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I feel like your your journey has been a very
interesting one because you started off your first couple of
years of your career in Seattle, big special teams player,
but didn't get as many reps as a linebacker. Finally
you got your chance, and it felt like your career
has just improved exponentially after that. In Denver, you were
playing something like ninety something percent of the defensive snaps,
(02:20):
which is wild. As your career has evolved and you've
continue to grow and get more of those reps and
get more of that opportunity to contribute, how do you
feel like you have grown as a player At the
same time, I feel I've gon a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
I mean, like you said, my first three years in
Seattle just doing special teams. There was a few games
that played just when guys got hurt or something like that.
My fourth year so doing special teams, but also got
a chance to start on defense. And so I feel
like my last year in Seattle playing demons, really my
year one, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
You don't to us totally.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
But then after that I go to DC and do
one year there, then go to Denver do one year there.
But I felt my games just cap descending defensively, And
it was the same thing with my special teams. For
the first three years it was just as sending a
sending and then back down to defense as sending a sending.
So now we're going to the year four playing defense, and uh,
it's been a good journey. You know, everyone's journey is
(03:12):
their own. You come in the league having this picture
perfect plan of like I'm going to ball for four
years defense right away and then you know what I mean,
But it's never just like life. It's never that way,
you know what I mean. There's there's all these turns
and adversities and all that things. And so, you know,
I'm just fortunate to be here in Nashville, and I'm
very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Where are you hoping to make the biggest impact on defense?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Just with my leadership, you know, and just building on
the culture they have and just creating that more of
a tight knit brotherhood and just you know, helping build
the culture that.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
We have here.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I think you're interesting because you're from Utah. Originally you
went to school at the University of Utah, and your
whole family, it feels like, went there's what was there
ever a world that existed where you were not going
to be a ute?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
No?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
No, yes. So my mom and dad both played at Utah,
so I met and they ended up staying in Utah.
And so then when we were all born, our goal was,
you know, we want to go play with the you
like our parents did. So my older brother went there,
then I went there, that my sister played vollaball there,
and then my little brother's a senior there.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Oh my gosh, he's the last one. It's so cool though,
to have a family legacy and to really be like
all in on a school and just a region. That's
such a neat thing to have. But also there's got
to be a lot of competition within your family. If
all of your siblings went there and played sports there,
I mean, that's got to be wild, right, Yeah, it's
pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I mean not just I mean we all expected we'd
go there, Like our whole dream was to go to
the You and then go pro. And I mean it
took kind of hard to explain it, just because I
grew up in it. But we all expect that out
of each other, and so to us it's not.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
As a big deal, right, that's just the stand.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, I just our standard that we have as a family.
But like, outside of going to you and all that stuff,
everything we do in our life is competitive. You know,
who's going to get to the try uck first, Who's
going to finish our food first? You know what I mean,
every little thing turns into a little competitive game and
who can win as something just there's always something find
ways to win, you know, but it's.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Fun having that standard in your house and growing up
with it to where it doesn't even feel weird to
be that competitive.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Though.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
That's got to impact the way that you not only
interact with people when you're at work, your very competitive job,
but also the way that you prepare.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Right, yeah, And I think the way we were raised
in that competitive atmosphere just it's translated not just into football,
but just into how we are, how we live our lives,
you know. Just and I think if you have a
drive and you have that competitive nature in you, it's
just not just in football alone, or it just kind
of brings out the best in you and brings up
in the best in others, you know what I mean,
just around you. And so, you know, very fortunate the
(05:47):
way our parents raised us. You know, at times it
wasn't easy. In our dad. It's pretty hard on us.
But uh, you know, at the time when I was young,
I'd be like, you know, I feel like I didn't
like my dad at the time. But looking back, as
you mature, right, you just you realize that they want
the best for you, and that's why they were pushing.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Us as such a competitor Is that why you like
a more aggressive style of defense.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah. And also I think that's due to personality. I
feel like I have a pretty aggressive personality, but I
don't know, I've always been pretty aggressive, but I don't know.
Maybe maybe it does, I'm not sure.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, I've got to ask you. You have a ranch,
grew up on a ranch? Explain your ranch? Do you
just have one?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
So we have a family ranch. Okay, that's called the
Barton Ranch in Utah. Cant dis close the location.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
That's okay, we don't need to know.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Or we middle of nowhere, Utah. But yeah, we got
a ranch out there. My dad and uncle are first
generation ranchers two thousand and one or two and two
one or two. But anyway, so we grew up. So
we grew up between the towns of Salican Park City,
which are two of the bigger towns in Utah, and
the mountains between them and uh Then the ranch from
(06:58):
there was about an hour a little over an hour away,
and so Monay through Friday was we'd go to school
in the city, do our ball, and then Friday afternoons
we're headed to the ranch. Go some say work. We
like to play out there. You know, fish, rid, horses,
all that stuff. But so it's always just been back
and forth, back and forth.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's awesome though, What a cool way to grow up
if you were playing and not working on the ranch.
But you see all of that work. What it takes
to create something like that? For those of us who
aren't from like beautiful Utah, is this like a Yellowstone situation?
What are we working with here?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
That big yos thousands thousands. We're a good sized ranch though,
and you know we got thirt beded horses out there,
black angus, cattle, chicken, stuff like that. So it's a
beautiful property.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Yeah, that's amazing. Is that something that you want to
get back to at some point after your playing days
are done?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I want done playing football. I want to do horses.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Oh wow, that's awesome. Well you're in a good place.
There's tons of horses around.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I know a lot of good country here too.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah, a different different style, mountains, more humidity.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah. When I first got out here, I had no
sense of direction because there's no mountains like you have,
no you know, land mass to figure out where you're headed.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Wait a minute, Okay, I'm from Missouri, where there's no
land mass at all. You orient yourself by mountains, This
can't be a real thing.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I mean if you look like, for example, when you
get in Utah, when you land in the Sulig Valley, Okay,
there's mountains on the east and the west. And if
you just know those mountains, like anytime but day, you
just look, Okay, those mountains are okay, I know that's
east versus out here. I look around. I'm psych I
don't know trying to count.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So you've got to use like stars and random new skyscrapers.
It's fun. You'll figure it out. They're kind of like mountains. Well,
how have you liked Nashville so far? You haven't been
here for very long. But in the time that you've
spent here, have you gotten to eat some of the food,
listen to some of the music, do the Nashville things.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
We went down to me and my wife last Sunday
went down and walked on Broadway.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Hm hmm.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
That was pretty chaotic.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
It's an adventure.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It's cool though, looking at the bars, you know, they're
all playing cover songs that you know, we like country music.
So I saw that. That was the only time I've
been in the city. But besides that, you know, we've
hit just little diners or little steakhouses here and there.
We're read me eaters in our household. Yeah, but Nashville's nice.
You know, it's humid, like I was saying earlier, and
they said it gets a lot worse. Yes, but to me,
(09:25):
it's very humid coming from you toe where it's dry.
But it's beautifly here. A lot of vegetation, really green,
a lot of water. But people drive a little crazy
out here, though.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
They do drive a little crazy.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to, I think.
But Cody, we are so happy to have you here
in Nashville. Thank you for taking the time to talk
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apply now back to the OTP. Another free agent acquisition
(10:22):
who is making his presence known right away is punter
Johnny Hecker. He's talking about why Nashville was the perfect
fit for his family, his relationship with special teams coordinator
John Fossil, and what keeps him coming back for more
football year after year. Guys, I'm so excited to introduce
to you the new punter for the Tennessee Titans, Johnny Hecker.
(10:45):
I'm so excited that you're here, and I think a
lot of people are excited that you are a Tennessee
Titan now. So I guess the natural first question is
why was this program the right fit for you at
this point in your career.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yeah, yeah, it really is. I really attributed to God
opening a lot of doors that before I don't think
we're really there. And this organization has a history of
great punters, you know, Craig Hentrick, Brett Kern, Ryan Stonehouse.
I get to be a guy that can just come
in and hopefully add to that and just bring my
own skill set and personality to it. But getting to
(11:19):
come here to a town where I get to reunite
with my old special teams coordinator John Fossil. That was
huge in me coming here and having the opportunity to
be on this football program. So I'm just blessed to
be here. I think why it's the right move just
because it's where I feel called, you know, I feel
it's a great spot to come and have an impact,
(11:39):
be a veteran presence in locker room, be encouraging to
the young guys that are developing on this roster, and
just just try and do things the right way and
help raise the bar here.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
You and John Fossil, the man they call Bones, have
a great history together. You were on some very successful
special teams units, especially with the Obviously, what was it
about that group that made it it's so successful. You
guys really were breaking a lot of records, doing a
lot of great things, and obviously it's a full team
(12:13):
effort in that special teams unit.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Yeah, I think it just comes down to leadership. I
think you know another Titans nod, but Jeff Fisher was
the guy that brought Bones and me both to the
team there in Saint Louis, and Coach Fossil is just
a guy that works tirelessly to help the players around him,
be comfortable in the roles that he's going to put
him in. He's never going to ask a player to
do something that they're not comfortable or capable of, and
(12:36):
they know that. You know, he's going to communicate very well.
He's a great educator. When you're in the meeting room
and you're stimulated, you are challenged, you know, you're you're
constantly learning new things.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I've been in the league.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
You know, this'll be my fourteenth season, but I'm constantly
learning new things about the people around me, about the
process of game planning and practice development. And so it's
a deal where he holds nothing back. He's and give
everything he can to the people around him, and players
tend to really thrive off of that and take that
same energy and give it back to him. So he's
getting everything we got.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Speaking of awesome leadership, Is it true that you have
not missed a game in your entire thirteen years that
you've played in the National Football League?
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Yes, that is that is true, and that's I mean, we're.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Not drinking it here, I mean we are. You feel
good about this, but I mean that's an incredible streak.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 4 (13:29):
I mean, the NFL, it's it's it's a very physical league,
and grant grant that I do play one of the
least physical positions in that league. But you know, I've
had I've had great trainers, I've had a wife in
my corner that challenges me to make healthy decisions, you know,
to schedule the chiropractor to come over, to get people
you know, within my circle that are going to help
(13:49):
take care of my body and just do things the
right way. So I don't attribute it to anything I've done,
per se, but just a lot of great strength coaches,
great trainers, massage therapists, of a ton of people along
the way that have just contributed to my longevity and
just being available, pushing through things when you can, and
just being available as a huge asset in this league.
So I'm just trying to be that for the Titans.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Here, availability is so important and guys in the locker
room have to see something like that. A guy who's
going the extra mile, who's scheduling the appointments, who's doing
the things you need to do. Is that part of
your leadership style is not only knowing what needs to
be done, but doing it and demonstrating that for others, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
Think, and just you got to let the opportunities come
do naturally to bring up, you know, maybe a suggested
path for a young guy. But I'm definitely listening for
those little moments and a little kind of Okay.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
There's my end.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
There's my end to find out about their personal life,
how they're doing with relationships around them, how they're doing,
how their body feels this offseason, what their recovery regiment's like.
But I don't want to be a guy that's going
to be like, hey, here's what I'm doing. You have
to do it this way, because there's a lot of
different ways. Everyone's body is different, their mental makeups are
different too, so a lot of people some people just
want to be a little you know, not ignorant, but
(15:00):
just hey, ignorance is bliss. I'm just going to take
care of my body. As long as i'm feel good,
I'm gon keep doing what I'm doing. But the older
you get, those margins are a lot smaller, so you
have to just be a little more on top of
your game. But i'd say my leadership style, I'm not
going to force myself on anybody. I just want to
be myself be an asset and try and help help
everybody just find those little areas in their game that
(15:21):
they can just tune up or or you know, find
those little tiny margins and improve.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
The thing that I find so interesting about you is
that every single person when it was announced that Johnny
Hecker was coming to the Tennessee Titans, every single person said, oh,
my gosh, you're gonna love him. He's a great guy.
Very few people talked about what you are able to
do on the football field, which in my mind is
(15:48):
a huge compliment, because we know you're good at what
you do on the field. It's the guy off the field.
How important is it to you that you have those
relationships that kind of reputation precede you before you walk
into a room.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
It's it's not that important to me. Not not that
not that I don't care, but I just think your
reputation is an earned thing. It's not something that I'm
gonna go ahead and try and fight for or try
and uphold or try and prove to people. I think,
you know, I serve, I serve the Lord, and I
feel like I try and just be led. You know. However,
he sees fit and It's something where I'm gonna try
(16:27):
and walk into a situation and be a reflection of
his love for those people, being encouragement to people around me,
be uplifting, be positive, try and just spread the fruit
of the spirit to people around me, and and if
it comes across in a good way, that's that's awesome,
And I hope that I can reflect that back to
the one who gives.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
It to me.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
You are very involved in serving the community in a
lot of different ways. Why is that something that you're
so passionate about.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
I think my faith plays a big part into it,
and also it's just modeled to me as a child,
my parents were very service forward within the church in
our community. We were always finding ways to you know,
we didn't have much ourselves, so we were on the
receiving end of a lot of charity and donations and
things that were given to our family. And so I
realize how much of an impact that stuff can make.
(17:15):
And so now that I'm in a position to be
the giver, it means a lot.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Really.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
You know, when you go to a community service event,
people see, oh man, these players are giving of their time,
but really you're really receiving as well, you're receiving a
lot of enrichment, a lot of perspective, and hopefully a
little humility along the way. Just you know, yes, we're
in this position to be an influence other people, but
also when you do things like that, it does kind
of good for your soul.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
And being able to reflect that to your family, now
that has to make it even a little bit sweeter.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Yeah, I have three young children, and so I'm constantly
trying to find ways to include them, you know, showing
pictures of things that we've done in the past before
they were born. Just yeah, let them know that that
being and being a person of impact is really helpful
to those around you, but also keeps you humble and
just keeps you in the right frame of mind for
(18:09):
yourself as well.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You mentioned this is your fourteenth season. What keeps you motivated,
what keeps you coming back to this game over and
over again?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
It's hits those relationships I love. I mean, I'm very competitive,
you know, I want to be the best interviewee you've
had ever.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yeah, I mean the best one today for sure. That's good.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
That is that is huge for me, and so I'm competitive.
I love just the beauty of football is there's so
many different styles and types of people and ways to
do it, and so there's so much to learn, so
many people to build those relationships with, because every play
it takes eleven of your guys to beat eleven of
(18:48):
their guys, and so the team that's more connected, more
willing to go to the extra mile for each other, has
more success than the other team on the whole. So
I just I love the game of football. I love
how you're never gonna have it perfect. There's always something
to learn, something to strive for, something to improve, and
so yeah, that's why I keep coming back.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Johnny Hicker, you are as advertised, You are wonderful. Thank
you for taking the time to be with us right
here on the OTP.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Tighten up Hey Titans fans. With a Kroger Boost membership,
you'll score big with double fuel points, free delivery, and
lots more. Go to Kroger dot com slash boost for details.
Kroger the official grocer of the Tennessee Titans. Tighten Up
Home is the forefront of all we do. It's why
we're so committed to caring for the places and spaces
(19:39):
in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture
provider of the Tennessee Titans. Now back to the OTP.
All right, we want to share one final conversation with
a new Titan, but this one's a rookie. Semi Oladajo
made an appearance in our studios right here to Sension
Saint Thomas Sports Park, and we to start right off
(20:01):
the top with a very important but very basic question.
What do you want us to call you? Okay, I'm
going to attempt this and you have to be honest
with me and tell me if it's right or wrong.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Gotcha? Got you?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Oladjo?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Pretty solid?
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay, like like an eight.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
I think I think eight is perfect.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay, now you say it.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
Olada Joe, Oh, you.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Say it better. You're right?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
It is your name, right, You're right.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
That is who our guest is, right now. Femi? Do
people call you Semi? Is that what you're going by?
Are you like the full name?
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I actually do enjoy the full name, yes, but you know,
to help out society, you know, we say Femi not
funny story because my name is pretty hard to pronounce.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
You know, in middle.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
School, whenever I had a substitute teacher. You know, you
have the full roster name out, so they'd get to
my name and always butcher it Yeahanic, yeah, and it
you know, and I just say call me Moses because
that's my middle name.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
And then as I got older, I started to embracing
more and started going by Fami for short, but wanted
the full presentation.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
To be old.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Now, there is a beautiful meaning to that name. Correct,
tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
It means God loves me. That's strong, It is strong.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
It's hilarious because you know, the night I got drafted,
I think the commentator he mentioned that and he was like,
in his name is God loves me?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
You know which God loves us all? You know. It
was just hilarious. But yeah, that's what the meaning is.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
That's fantastic though. So Nigerian is that correct? Your parents
are from Nigeria?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Some of your siblings were born there. How did that
influence the way that you grew up, the way that
you were raised and maybe how are you seeing that
now as you are an adult?
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Yeah? You know, my parents.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Migrated to California in ninety six, nineteen ninety six. Before that,
they had two of my siblings, so my older brother
and my older sister. I'm the youngest of four total,
But I think overall, I think the biggest things I
learned from being a first gen child is just the
principle of hard work and discipline and structure and order
(22:31):
and how important family is. I think my parents did
a great job instealing in us foundations of having relationships
with our siblings, our brothers, sisters, and then just friends
that we met and are still friends with how to
actually build a relationship with. So I'm very grateful for it,
and it's huge in who I am today.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It seems incredibly transferable to football, being in a locker room,
being part of a team, working hard, doing your part
to help you out, having those foundations just ingrained in
who you are.
Speaker 5 (23:03):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I think like the most natural
thing is if I see someone in the locker room,
going to say what's up? Whether I know you or
I don't you know. I think even right now, you know,
in the offseason you have ninety guys, guys getting cut,
guys coming in, but I might see you for the
first time. I'm still gonna introduce myself, say hello, and
(23:24):
try to build a bond.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
When did you start playing.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Football when I was ten years old.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And immediately liked it, or we're kind of unsure.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
I loved it. Now.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
The fun thing about it, or funny thing about it
is I actually knew about football already before I played it,
because my older brother played and he played Madden, so
I played, so I was already familiar with the game.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
So are you still a Madden player now?
Speaker 5 (23:50):
Yeah, not as much as I used to be when
I was thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, But I still feel very
confident in my skills.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I feel like you might come back to it now
that you're in the game. Do you think that, I
mean you would think.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah, I see what you're saying.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
I just think, as I evolve in life and I grow,
I try to stay away from the gaming system. Not
that is nothing anything bad with it, you know, but
I'm trying to learn different things about life and just
grow as a man.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I get that. I understand that. So tell me about
your evolution in your football career a little bit. Your
playing linebacker for a really long time and then all
of a sudden you're making a change to a new position. Yeah,
what was it that was kind of the initiator for
making that change.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
Yeah, well, I take you all the way back, do it.
Manths ago when I was ten years old, my first
position was actually center. Really I played center and I
played defensive tackle. Okay, I think the following year I
played fullback in like defensive tackle in outside linebacker, and
then old line and then receiver tied in. So I've
(25:06):
kind of besides quarterback and safety in the corner, those
like the only position I haven't played. Uh, but I
think it all transfers over, you know, to some capacity
now in terms of the move to edge as of
recently in my college career, played mic my first three
(25:27):
years of college. In the first two games this last
season going into my senior year, we had a lot
of depth at the linebacker position and we were rotating
a lot and it wasn't a bad thing, but it
kind of, uh didn't allow us to have our best
eleven on the field essentially, So coach kind of proposed, hey,
(25:49):
what do you think about playing edge really just for
this week to you know, keep us all out at
the same time. And uh, we had a great difference
game and we just kind of kept taking it week
by week and now we're here.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
So and now you're here, you are in the National
Football League as an edge rusher.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Are you surprised that this is where you have ended up?
Speaker 5 (26:12):
Mmmm, that's a good questionn't. I haven't thought of it
from that perspective.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
I mean, a year ago right now, you were still
a mic linebacker.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Still a Mike linebacker. That's one hundred percent correct.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
With that being said, it is kind of surprising, you know,
But over I'm grateful. I'm just grateful for the opportunity
and definitely not the one to take it for granted,
you know, I just want to to me prove everyone
that believed me right, proved the team right, prove the
coaches right, the staff, and ultimately god, so uh, just excited.
(26:47):
It's been a great time so far with the Vets,
the rookies. It's been a great mesh.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
How fundamentally different are the two positions not tremendously.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
I think obviously has a Mike linebacker, you're going to
coverage a lot more, and you know, you have to
be a lot smarter. But I think making this transition
from edge or mic to edge was easier than what
it would be from an edge to a MIC. That's
true because as a mic, you already kind of know
what the edge is doing, you know what the back
(27:19):
end is doing. But when your edge, you primarily only
know what you're doing, you know. So for me it
was it wasn't as hard as of a transition.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
You more just now you get to do the fun
part rushing the.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Quarterbacks first, the quarterback playing the run. I'm just going downhill,
you know, And I think that's what my body's built for.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Okay, what makes you like contact like that so much?
Why are you this way?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
It's just a game of football, and I feel like
not everybody's like this, but at least for me, you know,
the more and more I loved football, notch you're gonna
love the contact of it, or at.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Least you should. So it's I mean, it's.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
You can be aggressive without having to get a chance
of going to jail, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (28:10):
So why not go smack somebody? You know? So that's
what I will say.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Some people like contact because they're angry, and that's how
they get all of that out. You seem like a
guy who likes contact because you're having fun.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
Exactly, And that's that's the usually what I tell people
because I'm not really the angry type. I don't really
hold grudges. I'll try to move on in life, you
know what I'm saying. But football, the game of football
is violent, you know. So some people are angry in life,
so that's their escape, you know. But I genuinely believe
I love the game of football, so I'm going to
(28:43):
do what it requires and be violent.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
You know.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
I mean, if that's what the job requires, you gotta
do it.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
You gotta do it absolutely. So you said you're very
interested in growing and evolving as a man. What are
some of the ways that you have changed even throughout
college into now the early part of your professional career.
What are some of the ways that you have learned
and changed and involved.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
I know, for me, I'm a huge of my faith
as a Christian and just finding ways to grow in
better habits. You know, growing up in high school used
to you know, be a kid in teenager party, a
lot of things like that. So put that inside when
I got to college, and I'm still living that at
right now. Just trying to find ways to give back
(29:27):
to people in to serve in any type of way,
whether that's to my family or friends or just people
around me and my teammates, you know. And then for myself,
I would say reading more, reading more books, whether it's
spiritual books or life books, growth books. I'm reading a
few books. Boy Tim Grover right now, he's a really
(29:48):
known author. Used to be a trainer for Michael Jordan,
Kobe and Dwane Wade, and then learning about real estate
and personal training and just just a lot of different thing.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Your brain must be rolling all.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
The time, I think, so, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
What are you hoping that you can bring to this
Tennessee Titans team? What's different about you?
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (30:12):
You know, I just want to be impact, impact in
the locker room, but most importantly impact on the field
with production. Find a way to get to the quarterback
cause have it, get the ball out and help the
team win.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
All right, I know you're a busy man, You've got
books to read. And before I let you go, what
should we know about you.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I'm going to come in every day to the building
and give it my all. I'm going to push my teammates,
I'm going to push myself. I'm going to make sure
I take accountability of my success and my failures. But
I'm always going to try to get better each and
every day, whether that's in football or just in life
through reading.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Reading and everything. I'm violent apparently, Femi Oladasia, thank you
so much for taking appreciate it well, guys, that's it.
Those are some of our favorite conversations from this offseason.
We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.
Don't worry, there's going to be more OTP to come,
so be sure that you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
(31:16):
I don't care where you subscribe, just do it. We
don't want you to miss a single episode. For Cody Barton,
Johnny Hecker, Femiolodejo, I'm Amy Wells. Thank you for listening
to the OTP.
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