September 5, 2025 • 41 mins
This episode of Next Man Up we get ready for the 2025 season with DT Daron Payne and Washington Legend Santana Moss. Daron talks about his longevity and feeling "free" in Joe Whitt Jr's system. Then we catch up with Moss who is being inducted into the Washington Ring of Fame. Lets show BIG LOVE to Mr. Eight to Da Nine.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So we got some big, some big bruises in there.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Man, And I'm like, okay, now you're getting along. We're
getting a little long winning when talking about me.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Can we move on?
Speaker 4 (00:11):
Like, I just want to play ball, play fast, have fun.
I feel like once you throw expectations on things, that
kind of you got to try to live up to
that hype. So I got no expectations.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Man, I'm just go out damn ball, like I know
how I gotta imagine this part might not have been
something about that. No.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Look, I told myself, man, I wanted to be in
Miami with my feet kicked up, with an unbrother in
my gass and an umbrother over my head, you know,
on somebody beach.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
But now I just feel like I'm free and I
could just go play play ball, you know, go play
fast because I know the players, I know the system,
I know the guys that I'm playing with.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You know, if I put my all into some then
I should get the.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Same out of it. And that's what I said. If
you take care of football, football won't take care of you.
And here we are. You know, I'm teen years later.
You know football is still taking care of me. And
Sean would have been probably telling me you knew it
was coming. You knew it was coming.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
The Next Man Up Podcast is presented by Lansdown from
kick off to checking score, game change and getaway in
the heart of loud Lansdown Resort, proud partner of the
Washington Commanders for the Man. This family here with a
very very special guests for the Next Man Up. We
are heading into week one, be at the crib to
take on the New York Giants and this guy right
(01:25):
here his poison. I only have a big game, but
a huge season. My brother'sron paying. How you doing, man,
I'm good, feeling good. Hey brother, It's good to have
you here. Appreciated man, because we know you up against it.
First days, first man. Last time I spoke to you,
it was last off season for the season it started.
How was this off season for you?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It was good, man. I had trained a bunch, got
spent a lot of time with the fam and just got.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Ready for the season.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Got ready for this season.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And last year you told me a big part of
your preparation, what's recovery, what's learning how to take care
of your body, learning how to keep that long jib
be going was that the same point of emphasis this offseason.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
This off season was really just like just like endurance
and just trying to get myself in the mindset of
one like when I just like taking my shot and
being able to know when when when is my chance
and go out there and take it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
You know what about last year or just your whole
career that makes you say, you know what that needs
to be a point of emphasis. I need to really
figure out that timy aspect of my game.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
You know, it's just like after just watching last year film,
you can just tell, like you like as football player,
you know when certain play is about to happen, and
like you know when it's your chance to go go
out there and just do the things God gave you
the ability to do. So just being able to feel
that sense in the game and then go out there
and take it.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I know. And this is just me watching from the
outside right Like when we sat last year, you had
not played it down. This is new coaching staff, new
defensive coordinator, new ownership, there's a lot of new parts.
Did it like a prove it year for you know,
it was a lot of contract year. However, this is
a new defensive coordinat. It's a new staff, they got
to learn you, they didn't draft you. Was it did
(03:09):
it feel Did you feel that kind of pressure? No?
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I didn't feel like approved year for me. I just
felt she was just trying to get used to new
plays and the new bodies I had around me, and
just getting the feel for how things are. But now
I just feel like I'm free and I could just
go play play ball, you know, go play fast because
I know the plays, I know the system, I know
(03:32):
the guys that I'm playing with.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
You know, man, you said it wasn't a proven year,
but brother, you did prove it right, because this Stevens
alone looks very different than two years ago with me
and you first met, or even last year when we
were speaking. So much would change, but one thing that
stayed the same was you. They had a voter confidence
in you to keep you around when they moved so
many other people. Did you feel that voter confidence? And
how great was that to be able to earn that
(03:54):
so quickly with a new staff.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I just come into work. I don't really try to
pay attention to all that because I know that that
could throw you off your game too, So I just
come in and try to work my heart is and
to try to put good stuff on tape, just be
example for the younger guys and just get to it.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And that's exactly what you Dove man.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You've gotten very very comfortable, Like you said, things are
able to slow down a little bit because you're in
YouTube of the system. Can you elaborate on that a
little more? And what about Joe, which junior system works
for doron pain and why it brings the best out
of you?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Joe he let guys just beat them like he always
has a turn. Let the studs be the studs. And
I just feel like in the system, it's a lot
of opportunities for guys who go out there and make
big plays within the system. And I feel like if
we just run the scheme as it's drawn up and
guys don't go out their way to try to do things,
(04:49):
I feel like it'll be good for us.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And you use the word freedom, I could play free
the way you said it makes me feel like maybe
you haven't felt.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
That, no freedom like this until Like I know my
assignment and I can go play fast.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Have you felt that before up until this point in
your career? Because I meant changes.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
It's like that second year is always that second year,
like after you get with the new coaching staff, then
you even played it a little bit, and then the
next year it's like, Okay, I know what's going I know,
I know this play. I don't have to think about
it or being kind of timid. I can just play ball.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And there's a lot of question marks around this defensive line,
not because of lack of talent. Actually the opposite. There's
so much talent that's been added onto this defensive line. Man,
what can what can fans expect when they see you
line ab out there, when they see when they see
Ken Law wise, what's it going to be? Like?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Shoot, we got some some big, some big bruises in there. Man,
that boy Ken Law, he gonna be a nice defensive
tackle for us. He's strong, physical, and we got Johnny
Noon coming back. He's really explosive, young guy, got some vets,
my boy Vaughn and autumn end guys, bro it's gonna
(06:02):
be It's gonna be fun. It's just it's just been
fun trying to, you know, pick pick each other brains
and just get on one of court so he can
get ready for the season.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Use the word fun.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I think we've all had fun of watching you stand
next to a guy like Ken Law. I had to
interview him on the sideline and on Sixth Street. My man,
maybe look like a baby. He's just such a massive guy,
but he's also quick. He's also very athletic. You talking
about picking these new guys bring what have you got
to learn and help Ken Law with his well, because
I know it's an iron shopping the iron type situation.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
I mean, it's just from I got to learn from
Ken Law just like just be big, just play big.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
He used.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
He uses his like his size as his strength, and
he go out there and play big. And I feel
like sometimes I forget to play big, like I always
be throwing my hands and stuff. So I just I
just learned to play big from him.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
On what year is this for you?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Many? Man?
Speaker 1 (06:56):
The average lifespan for an NFL player is like two
to three years. You made it eight years, man. That
is a level of longevity. And our sponsors over at
lands Down Resort, they like to know that our players
are not only putting it working on the field, but
also taking time off the field to have that downtime,
have that recovery time you talked about paying attention to
your body and keeping yourself right. How have you taken
(07:17):
advantage of your downtime when you get it? We know
it's very rare, especially in the season, but how do
you take advantage of that?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Man?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
If you go ask anybody, I'm a man of many hobbies,
men and many hobbies, like I'll be fishing, snowboarding, snowboarding, yeah,
I love snowboarding.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
What else?
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I'll be on four wheeling, all types of stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
No, see, I get the four wheeling piece, I get
the fishing piece. Because of where you're from and how
you grew up snowboarder, bro, what.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Does that come from?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
I just I tried it once and I was took
very tense. I had got I got like three boards
and now all the equipment and stuff season. That's why
i'd be when it's snowing.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I'm trying to imagine you, man is crazy, But that's dope.
You have a cirtain. No, No, I think you like
that one man. You got to try that to a
man of many hobbies. Brother, Yeah, sir man. And then
you know this year again, going into year eight, that's
that's wild man, and you're gonna have a true test
on your hands taking on the New York Giants. We're
going to be at the crib. What do you expect
(08:16):
from yourself going into this year in this season?
Speaker 4 (08:20):
All right, man, I'm going in this year with no
expectations honestly, Like, I just want to play ball, play fast,
have fun. I feel like once you throw expectations on things,
that kind of you got to try to move up
to that hype. So I got no expectations. Man, I'm
just go out damn ball like I know how.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
And that's probably part of that feeling free that you mentioned,
just being able to go out there and do it.
And you're the big vet bro. You wanted to fight
the oldest statesmit here as far as the people that
have been part of the Bernie and Gold got a
guy like Johnny k newan man coming off of a
tough injury looking to make some big places. Man, what
have you seen from him? I'll be able to help
him develop man.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Like I said, he is a really explosive, explosive young guy.
Like I just when I see Johnny, I think about
my youngest just always try to pick up pick like
like sticking around the older guys and just going hard.
Like when I see him, I'm be like, damn, how
you going so hard right now?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I kind of so.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
He got that explosive twitch to him. So it's just
fun to see John.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
We can't wait to see y'all out there. Last question, Brother,
you're gonna be back at the crib fort of the
best fans in the NFL giving miss Mississippi fans while
they should show up and show out and pull up
for us on we won.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Man, it's about to be a good time. Man, I
know we sold out. I want everybody to come out,
be loud.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
As possible on defense.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Let's go. But the start of the season, let's get it.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Let's go, man.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
No better person to start the season with the my guy.
The wrong thing pours for a big, big year, My brother,
I appreciate you. Com man, this family our next man up. Okay,
appreciate come man, this family, our next man up. It's
somebody probably the most special person this weekend. My guy
changed the game, turned the track scholarship into one of
(09:58):
the best NFL career as we have ever seen. Was undersized,
but didn't play like it, played like the biggest man
on the field and is the biggest man in this
studio right now. Our next man up, my guy, stay
ten to nine. Santantam's my brother brother. Appreciate you, man.
Always good to.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
See you for having me man.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
I know, man, I know this is interesting for you
because out of all the stars I'm around it, all
the athletes, I'm around you not really into the light
being on you. You're not really into all this. So
what has this been like? All this celebration, all this love,
all this attention.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You have to embrace it.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I think that's one of the things that I've kind
of always been about, is embracing the moment. That's why
I say, you know, we have our different ways of
I guess you could say navigating through our journeys.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I was a guy I.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Never looked too far ahead, but I was always prepared
for what was ever out there.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
But I'm going to live for today.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
So that's how I've been and that's how I approach everything,
you know what I mean. So I'm embracing it because
I know it's here's my time.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
When you play this.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Game and you don't really get a lot of the
praises for all the hard work you put in because
it's one of those those worlds that you know, it's
always somebody that did something better than you did, regardless
if you did something well or not. And you know,
for our kids, it's gonna be hard for them to
kind of, you know, appreciate others approval, you know, But
(11:21):
me myself personally, man, when I've done it, you ain't
nothing you could tell me. And that's what I feel
about this situation. I feel like I'd done it, so
regardless if I was going to get any recognition for
it or not, I was happy to say I can
always look up them stats and go see the film
and say, well, tell me what did it better? And
we've seen so many people have the stats and do
all the things on the field and not get that recognition.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So even though you want expecting it, when it did come,
when you surprised, Yeah, I was surprised.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I mean because you don't never you never know, you know,
you don't know what you you don't know the criteria
what you need to be considered one of those guys.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
And you know, I got homeboys.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
That advocate for me to get my you know, college
Football Hall of Fame, that we know that the criteria
you reach it, you know what I mean, I've reached it,
and it's so many other different things. And then when
you talk about NFL, you know, the one thing that
everybody wants to be a part of that Hall of
Fame fraternity. You know, you wish a lot of guys
say they played for that. I never played for that,
(12:19):
but I know I knew playing well enough to get
recognized one day.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
For it would be a huge accomplishment.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
And so you see numbers, and that's all you can
kind of chase is the numbers.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Rather your team.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Allows you to go get them or not, you have
to chase the numbers that gave those guys the criteria
to be.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Considered, you know, one of those all time greats.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So when it gets caught up into the things that
I can't control, I never kind of worry about it.
I just know that as long as I do my
thing as being who I am as a player for
my team and for myself, if those numbers are reached
and I should get the recognition, then I'll be ready
for it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And that takes a lot of maturity. But if you
go back to young Tanner, Florida, right, it's dream. All
kids dream of the things that they're going to be
able to accomplish. Could you have ever dreamed or envision
like we're looking at you back here. Man, You've had
a stellar football career, but you've also had an amazing
broadcast career that's really blossoming right now. Could you have
dreamed of any of this?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I dream to be great.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
I dream to be a pro football player, for sure,
But when you look at that road and you saw
the journey, you would have probably never said it was
going to happen the way it did, you know. And
I remember like going through so much as a kid
man you name it from you know, not having opportunities,
to having opportunities to get an opportunity, then almost getting
(13:39):
it taken away from me in college, you know, then
to bounce back from that ordeal and then to kind
of skyrocket into everything. Then you get drafted and you
barely even got into college, and then you get you
get drafted first round and you get hurt immediately out
out the gate. So so many different ups and downs
throughout the career. But I've had had the same focus,
(14:01):
I had the same I kept the same faith. And
that's the one thing that I give a credit to
me having the chance to achieve what I you know
I have because I never, I guess you can say,
detoured from my true beliefs and me and my true
beliefs and what it should be minds, And I think
that's a lot of things I try to tell my kids, like.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
They don't know, you know what I mean, what's the future.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
But if whatever you believe, if you keep that belief
and you stay, you know, like I always say, checking in,
you keep, you keep, you keep chipping at it, you
should have your day.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
And that's what I think.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Now when I'm sitting back and when we look back
and reflect about some of the things you was able
to accomplish on the football field, and then so many
opportunities that that that being that guy on the football
field that has been given to you. Now you kind
of just smile about it because I used to always
tell myself, if I put my all into some then
I should get the same out of it.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
And that's what I said. If you take care of football,
football gonna te care you.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
And here we are. You know, I'm teen years later.
You know, football is still taking care of me.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And I hear you talk about those ups and downs
and me and You've talked about it on the last
time you were on Next Man Up and all the
different things you have been through, And I know I'm
getting to the age now where I think about my trials,
manipulations and how it got me to this point. Would
you change anything about the journey with Santa La Mass
change anything? With all these ups and downs. We know
they're tough when you go through it, But now on
(15:26):
the back end, what would change?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
I won't change nothing. I think it's life.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Like I said before, you don't know what life is
going to present, you know, but you have to be
ready for And I think if if you're ready for
the good and the bad, you know, I always expect
you know, uh, you know. I always hope for the
hope for the best, but expect the worst. And it's
hard to kind of put it that way, but you
have to have that kind of mindset. And if you
(15:50):
don't have, if you don't train or or I guess
you could say, fine, tune yourself to understand that you know,
where there are is women women's it's also a line
somewhere it's gonna be yourself. It's something gonna leave you
a bit of taste and everybody have their own way
of wording that, but that's my way of it. And
that's why I say when I go through some of
the some of those those setbacks, from the setbacks that
(16:15):
I didn't do it earlier, I was able to conquer
that one. You see what I'm saying. So you have
to use them mess building blocks. You know, if it
wasn't for me doing this at nine or ten, I
wouldn't be able to get through this at fifteen, and
vice versa. And then it just keep you keep stacking
them and before you know it, you're on this high
mountain looking down like, man, it wasn't easy, but I'm here.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
You see what I'm saying. So that's how I look
at life.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Man, That's why I embrace it and I appreciate it,
because if you don't fail, man, you're not gonna understand
what you know.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Success feels like turning losses into wins. Now, let's go
back to training camp. Before you knew you were going
to be in the Ring of Fame. Man, we had
set up all this stuff for you. I think you
had kind of an idea something was going on, because
take us back to that, man, when you were doing
command Center Training Camp. Lib you go check that on
the commandeds. You two page right now when we're doing that,
(17:04):
walk us through that moment where you hear us talking
about it to be Miss, just soliloquy about you to
your family just coming and rushing.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I was wondering where be Miss was going at, you know,
with this whole little ordeal with me, and I'm like, okay,
I knew he was gonna do something, but why keep
talking about Tanner? You know my boy Tanne, you know,
even brothers, and every time they see me, they see ten.
I'm like, okay, now you're getting along, you're getting a
little long winning when talking about me. Can we move on?
And then he was like, You're gonna be with me forever.
(17:32):
And that's when it just hit me. Before you even
before I even saw my you know, saw my family
come from, you know, come from behind the little wall.
I'm like, did you just say and Boomy said it.
And when he said I was gonna, you know, uh,
come week one I be inducted into the Ring of Fame,
it hit me.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
It hit me because, like I said before, you.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Don't know when you don't know if you even fit
the mold for the guys who up there. But you just, oh,
you put a good body of work out there, man,
and you hope one day that it can, you know,
give you that kind of recognition.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
And like I say, man, I kid you.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Not like if I've never got that kind of opportunity
to be up there, if it never came my way
the way the fans appreciate what I've done for them. Man. Look, man,
I walked through that stadium at times, man, and I
can't believe the praise they give me because I'm just like, Man,
I just went out there and work.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
I went to work, and they appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
So as a player, when I was asked, you know
what you want your legacy to be, and I used
to always think about it, I don't know, you know,
And I say, when I look back at it, I
was like, you know, a guy that did more with less.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And that's how I look at it, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
I mean, I didn't always get a chance to achieve
some of the things I saw my peers doing, but
when I did, trust me, it was one of those things.
It was the moments that you want to be there
to see. And that's how I appreciate the game. And
then the fans always let me know that, you know,
when I was out there, always laid it on the
line for them and they appreciate it. So to know
(19:05):
that the team, the organization felt the same way. Man,
it was joy and those tales was tears of joy.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Man.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
It was such a heavy moment. And like you know me,
you work with me a lot. I don't get too nervous.
I don't get too raded when it comes.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
To the stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
But with stuff like that, Bro, I had butterflies. I
was nervous because it's such a big moment, right, It's
such a big part of your story. And again, that
kind of stuff isn't promised no matter what you do
in this world. Sometimes you'll never get those flowers when
you're here to smell them. So to me, it was
just amazing to see you be able to receive those
flowers from my God that loves you so much, a
beamish but then to see all the people that truly
(19:37):
love you, not just love you, but I know each
and every one of those people around you were part
of your story, were part of what got you here. Man.
How special was it to be able to share in
that moment because again, you probably just like black noise, like,
oh my god, so entry the real fame. Then all
of a sudden, twenty thirty people fill that tent just
to show.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
You love, I reflected more.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I mean those folks that was there, you know, they
had no choice, because I'm sure they can tell you
a lot that eighty nine have done for them. But
at the same time, we don't look at it like, yeah, man,
when I mess with you, when I rock with you, man,
I don't care about you ever repaying that back.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I just want to show you that every day that
I mess with you like that.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And my brothers was there, my close friends was there,
and then people that I've become friends with since I've
been here. But the people that I knew that I'm
gonna get a chance to share this moment with the
most wasn't there. And that was my mom and my dad.
And I thought about them instantly immediately because I understood
the whole upbringing and the things that different things that
(20:36):
they showed me as a kid of how to be
successful in life. You know, my mom and dad wasn't
no athletes. I mean when my mom was a hell
of an athlete in high school. But I'm saying as
an adult man, they just raised their kids to be
the best that we can be. And I saw how
they worked. I saw what they did when we didn't
have We ain't know. I never went through a moment
(20:57):
of not feeling night we didn't have anything, because they
always made sure that we had everything we needed.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
You might not have what you want, but you had
what you need.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And so being able to say I get a chance
to kind of I called it like my stamp to
my family name. That's a stamp for us to say, damn,
my son went up there and he was able to
come here and do that, you know. And you know
when you look up there and see that name, it's
not just Santana Moss, it's Lord and Natalie Moss, you
(21:27):
know what I mean, that's their son. So to me,
that's like the ultimate thank y'all for giving me air,
giving me this life, and then I'm able to pay
y'all back in that that fashion.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
What was that conversation like, because of course they weren't
able to be here in the tent, thank goodness, it
was like one hundred and ten degrees. But when you
were able to call them and let them know, hey, Mama, Hey, pops,
your boy did it? Man? What was that conversation?
Speaker 3 (21:47):
They knew, they already had knew.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Everybody knew but me, you know, my brother, because my
brother got the news like a month or so early,
and they was basically telling everybody, Hey, this is going down,
but don't tell Tan. You know what I'm saying, And
that's that's the name that they called me a home,
that's my nickname, and so they knew. My mom said, taing,
I ain't gonna lie. I was, you know, and to
that day that they actually surprised you. When I saw it,
(22:10):
She's like, I shared a till because I know it
felt good for you know what I'm saying, all the
work we donet see you go through so much to
have that kind of accomplishment or to have that kind
of honor, you know, to be honored in that way.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
She said, I had, I shared the till.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
But they gonna be here come Sunday, and so you know,
hopefully they don't get emotional like I told them.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
On drafted.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
I remember getting drafted and I remember thinking them then,
you know what I mean. And every time I've had
one of those pivotal moments in my career.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
That's what I think about the most.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You know what I'm saying, I'm like, Damn, these people
here bless me to be able to walk this walk
this earth, man, and you know, and breathe in this air.
And all I want to do as a kid was
make them proud. And I can honestly say, Man, they
done saw it. They saw it all they've been in.
They've been in every battle with me. They've been in
every high, and they've been on every low. And for
(22:58):
me to be able to continue to give them things
to be happy about, Man, that's more than a blessing.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Man, that is so dope, And it's just honestly a blessing.
You even get to share this, right, because so many
of us don't even get to share these big moments.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
With our parents.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Who salute your parents, Man, can't wait to see that.
And it isn't just the fan base that's shown you love.
It's not just Command Center that showed you love. ESPN.
Now you're on the CW all of these national outlets,
Bleacher Report. Man, you was in a car in a
NASCAR riding around. Man, has that been surreal for you
to see the national love you? Because you know what
you've done here, you know what you mean to this community.
(23:30):
But the entire nation is showing love the Santanta mass
and giving your flowers. Man, it's got to be overwhelming
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, I didn't really think about it, you know, so much,
because I feel like since I've stepped away from the
game a little bit, I've been doing a lot more
in front of the camera, so I kind of get
a lot of that attention, you know, rightfully, so because
I was out of a player, you know what I mean,
And that name always rained, you know, people were telling
(23:56):
me my name was something, specially before I even touched
the football.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I was in elementary school and I had a peeteacher said, man,
ten years from now, I'm gonna hear that name.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Wow. And I remember ten years, it won't even ten years.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I had to move from that area and I'm running tracks,
you know, summer track, and the guy just so happened
to be one of the guys that was clocking me
come across the line, and when he wanted to get me,
like you know how they you know, everybody who's clocking
the individual guys ran in that race.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
When he went to grab me and he looked at
my face. He was like, sat town of Moss.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
I told you you're gonna be special, and I'm like, yeah,
I kind of been working on this from day one,
you know what I mean. Like I was in the
panther running around the house giving people a causing havoc.
My mama to get that boy outside because he just
you know what I mean, That's what I've always been on,
Like I was gonna do something with that football and running.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
That's all I did. You know, I hit the ground running.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
So when I see some of the stuff that's coming
or the ass came my way since I stepped away
from the game. Like I said before, Man, I embraced
it because I understand it been a long journey to
kind of do what I done, and if it's credit due,
then I'm gonna receive it in that way, you know
what I mean. I'm not gonna shy away from it.
But like I said before, I'm not a person to
(25:08):
sit there and want to want it or ask for
it when it comes. Man, I embraced it and I
appreciate it, and I tried to do it in the.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Not so nonchalant wait.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Like I told you before, I'm one of those guys
that I might be jumping for joy inside, but I
can never show that because I'm not that kind of person.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
You know what I'm saying, super noachalant man. And it's funny.
I think about a coach selling you you're gonna beat
somebody some day, and I'm sure you heard that, like
you said, from a bunch of people. The name rang
bells before you ever hit that field. But it's one
thing to have that belief, but it's different when you
finally see it in yourself, when you believe in yourself
and know that you're capable of this. When it's saying
Town of Mars, know that he was going to be
what everybody thought he was capable, I.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Don't know, man, I was just wired to always believe.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I remember being a kid, and this is how I
know I was kind of different. And I'm not saying
that in a way like this guy, which is so
much different than everybody. No, it's not going to be
portrayed that way. But and I asked my kids this,
what are y'all thinking at times? And I'm not asking
them that because they did something odd or something wrong.
(26:11):
I just remember the thoughts I used to have, Like
I remember being outside my grandmother's house one day and
just running up and down, and that's where we was
living there, and I was running up and down.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I would go walk to the corner.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
And it was a it was a lot of traffic
that came on that particular street that we was on,
and I would walk to the corner and wait for
every car to hit the corner and race them to
my grandmother's house to see if I can beat them
before they go on the highway, because it was it
was a ramp to go on the highway right dead
smack in front of my grandmother's house. So I know
it's a lot of traffic coming this way, so I
(26:44):
might as well get this running in. And I'm young man,
and my my my uncles and aunts, my grandmother, and
they all would tell me stories like baby wees just
watch you in that window, like look at this boy,
he racing every car. And the older I got, and
this is when I'm talking about from the time I
was able to walk and run.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
As I get.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Older, I started getting my hair cut to the barber shop
around the street, and people like you that boy, I'd
be racing a car on the street.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Boy, you fast boy, you you know what I'm saying.
So I remember that's how it started.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And at that time too, my mom weren't gonna let
me play football, so I had to do something, you know.
So when I look back at those moments, man, as
a kid, I was always dreaming, Man, I'm gonna do
this one day. Man, I'm gonna do this one day. Man,
I want better life than this one day, you know
what I'm saying. And like, at the same time, you
live in your best life because you don't know no
other life, right, but you kind of have a sense
(27:35):
that there's something better, but you just you just see
other people having something better, but you really don't know,
you know what I mean. So oh, Man, as a kid,
when I as early as I can start dreaming and believing,
I did it. And I never never detoured from my
true beliefs and dreams. I'm always kept it strong. And
(27:55):
one of my homeboys just told me the stories. Like Tanner,
you know, my homeboy wasn't even playing and when we
became friends, it was off of him coming into the
weight room one day and he ain't know what he
was doing. So I told him to come work out
with me. It was a year after I had just
played my first year of varsity football, and before you
know it, he's working out with me every day and
he like, man, so how long you been doing this.
(28:16):
I'm like, well, I've played little league and now I'm
playing this. I'm like, I'm trying to get to school.
He like, get to school how. I'm like, I'm trying
to go to college off of this. He's like, you
can go to college.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Off of this. I'm like yeah, he like how?
Speaker 2 (28:26):
And when I told him, me say, I'm going to
school too fast forward, me and him was going our
first visit together.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
So it's crazy for him or someone else to tell me, bro,
what you told.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Me about football and where it could take.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
You change my whole perspective of me going to school
and wanting to play football even better because now I
can get seen and get noticed and get a scholarship.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
And when he told me that, I didn't, I had
no clue.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
I thought he knew already, but he said, now, everything
you told me that day was my first time knowing
that I can do that and play and actually go
to college to play. Because some people aren't come up
with you coming with then I come up with both
their parents, and I come up with all that support system.
So it's dope that that was actually a really cool
It touched me, man, because I'm sitting there like, damn,
this is the dude I've been around all my life. Practically,
(29:12):
I never knew that this is what got you motivated
to go to school. And he told me, say, the
first off I get, I'm gonna commit, And that was
our both for our first off we all committed. I
just ended up going to Miami on the Tras scholarship
because I just felt like it was something better.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
It's crazy how things start, man, because you chasing cars.
Then it leads to one of the best careers we
ever seen them Bernie in goal. Now your career has
pivoted to being on camera man Amy nominated. Man, you
have multiple shows. You keep adding and adding shows the
things that you dreamed about and always knew. I gotta
imagine this part might not have been something about that.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Nah.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Look, I told myself, Man, I want to be in
Miami with my feet kicked up, with an unbrother and
my gass and an unbrother.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Over my head. You know, on somebody beach. But like
I said said before, man.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
You look, you look at what you have kind of
brought into this world, your kids, and you're like, Okay,
I can't stop.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Working because they're expensive.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Regardless no matter how much money you got in the bank,
you got to keep keep that.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Thing rolling in.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
But also, you know, like I always tell you to
tell folks, I'm on a boy opportunity and if something
is presented to me, man I tried. My heart is
not to say no to it, especially if it makes sense.
And I think when I you know, I never retired
at first initially, and so the fans was like, when
you're gonna retire? They thought I was still working out
(30:36):
and I just happened to pop in town because I
was in.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
Miami waiting on the call, and.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
My agent in me was going back and forth with
just you know, teams that had called him, and deep
down the side, I'm like, man, I ain't trying to
leave Washington go play nowhere else. And I had already
talked to the GM at the time. He was telling
me like, look, man, you know, in respect for you,
we're gonna we're gonna allow you to go out there
and test the waters. But I'm like, at the end
of the day, I'm a free agent. I don't want
(31:02):
to test the water. I just want to come here.
But when he told me that, being a guy who
I am, I didn't even go against what he wanted
because I could easy say, nah, bro, just bring me
in and let me compete. But to me, that was
like you basically didn't give me a chance to compete.
So why I don't want to beage you for I'm
not gonna beg you for anything, you know what I mean.
I'm gonna go make my minds or make away from myself.
(31:23):
And so with that process. In that process, I end
up enrolling to school to get my NBA. While I
was sitting out and I'm like, you know, the opportunity
had presented itself, my agent, like you might might want to,
you know, dive into this if you ever had any aspirations.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Of getting another degree.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I'm like, I didn't, but I do need somewhere from
my mind to go, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And that was the best thing that happened to me.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
And while I was in school feel like a fish
out of water because I had been out of school
for so long. It gave me something to kind of.
I guess you can say go after again.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Like I was. I was eager to get this degree.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Now football was in the rear view, and I remember
on my agent like, hey, man, I got a call
from this person.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
That person.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
I say, look, I'm gonna take you like this after
eight weeks. If I ain't getting the call that I want,
I'm good. And I believe it was like the week
that I told him I'm good, we got too calls
and I was like, to be honest with you, man,
I'm happy that people still see what I saw on myself,
but I'm gonna be honest with myself. I'm not finna
go and be Santana Moss, you know, coming off the
(32:29):
streets like this.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
I'm too old and to these years of football to
be just coming in you on your team where everybody
do play all these games and they're in top shape
to be saying I can go out here and compete now.
So I just said I'm good, and I came up here.
Then I called Dan. I said, damn, I'm just letting
you know, man, I'm gonna hang them up. I'm in
(32:52):
school right now, getting this NBA. But I'm gonna hang
them up, and you know, one day I gotta come
up there and I retire.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Blah blah blah. He's like, no, I want to see
you this weekkend.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
They had just made the playoffs, I believe, and I
flew up to go to the playoff game and I
remember being around everybody. No one saw me for like
almost the whole year, and the media folks that asked
me what I was doing, They say, hey, you want
a job, you want to work? I was like, sure,
because it presented itself, right, I said, It's hard to
(33:20):
say no when something presented itself, whether it's something he
was looking forward to or not. And to me, I
think that was one of the best decisions of my life,
just taking advantage of an opportunity that was given.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
And the rest has been history.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I think I've been growing in this.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Space for the last what eleven years now, you know
what I mean, just trying to get better and trying
to perfect it and be as be.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
What I can be to the profession, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
And it's dope for me because I get to see
the fruits of your labor in this business in real
time when We're walking around, whether we're in the DMV,
whether we're in Dallas, New York, Philly, and people come
up to you and they're so excited to see you,
and instead of mentioning all the things you did on
the field and accomplished, they mentioned command center. They miss
your commands in the pockets, they miss your players. Club man,
(34:05):
How wild is that for you? Somebody who was known
for not having no love for the media back in
the day, to being somebody that's recognized for being a
media face.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
It just show you where our world is at today.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
You know everything on our phone and so you know,
those who like podcasts, those who like anything dealing with sports,
especially the local team. And you know, we they wrap
us hard out here in Washington. I'm from Miami, and
you know we was the Hurricanes when I was playing
playing in college.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
And if we wasn't good, people weren't.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Showing up, you know what I'm saying. So I understand
the difference of a sports town. You know, as much
as we want to be known for Sportstown or sports State,
aint nothing like up here.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
You know what I mean. These people are gonna rep
you through and through.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
They gonna deal with the bad, but they can't wait
for the good and that's what I love about it.
And to know that folks get a chance to see
those shows and watch, you know, I be like, y'all
watch that, you know, I mean, honestly, I'll be shocked
because you don't think people are paying attention to that stuff,
but they do. And a lot of them want to
hear from the people that they watch play the game
because they like our insights.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
They like what we have to say about it.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
And that's why, you know, now it makes me, like
I said, I keep bringing back these same words. I'm
embracing that knowing that, look, man, I'm giving them something
that you know, they want to hear from me.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
It's not just I'm on the show because I was
once a former Washington player.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Yeah I was, and they love to see those.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Same guys, but they also want to get that information
from those guys who once played.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
You know, right between them saying white.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Lines man, and we'll get to see you on Game
Day live with me and be missed. Man. Tanner could
have took the time off, but he said he gonna
work while he's getting hotter. Then we're gonna party. Laid
that Tanner Man last thing before you go, bro, something
that stuck out to me last time we spoke, and
it's wrung in my ear for since you mentioned it
to me. Used to say, when you and Sean t
built your relationship, it built from that plane ride, those
(35:58):
plane rides where he would just be tap Tannement, we're
gonna talk.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
We're gonna talk.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Force you to talk, even though you didn't feel like it.
If y'all were sitting on this plane right now, brother,
and he knew what you were about to accomplish, what
you were about to be entering, something that he's entered
as well, what do you think that conversation would be
like on that plane.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
He had been like, you knew this, you knew it
was gonna happen. You know what I mean? Like we
have a mentality and it's something.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Like I think about all the guys from you know,
South Florida, and then you can just say from guys
from the Hurricanes too.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Us you a guys man.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
We put into work, you know, and our work shows
because for one, the school has always been one of
those schools that you're going to watch the guy that
come out of that school.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
But not only that, it's just a.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Way about how we we approach business. And Sean would
have been probably telling me you knew it was coming.
You knew it was coming because you know, like I
said before, we understand what we're doing, We're gonna get
recognized for one way or another, you know what I mean.
And when it happens, like I said before, I just
embrace it and you know I'll be appreciated of it.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Hey, man, bro, we're so excited man to celebrate you,
my brother, Santana mass May. You've done so much for
us on and off the field.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Brother.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
We appreciate you, and you alluded to this a little bit. Man.
Last thing, my brother, what do you want Santana Moss's
legacy to be when it's all setting down?
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
I mean when I look at it, man, I try
to search something. I try to search for something more
than what I just told you about a guy who
did more with less.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
But I think that's been me. That's been me.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I've been a guy all my life that almost was given,
you know, but so much to achieve some of the
things that I wanted. And the one thing I've always did,
I took. I took what you gave me and made
more out of it. That's how I can look at it.
And that's what it's always been about. Like I said,
even when I got into college, you know, when I
had to go through that back door of being a
(37:49):
walk on, I could have easily just tapped out and say, look, man,
I know I'm a hell of a football player, but
this is the card I've been dealt, So just sit
there and be less.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Than and who you are. I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
I was gonna get in there and say, Okay, I'm
in this dough now. Now it's time to show them
what time it is. You know what I'm saying. It's
been the same way for everything, for every other thing.
Even when I was going into college. I remember I
had an Army and recruit guy who was recruiting me
in school. I don't know why, but you know they
had those guys in school, and nothing against the Army
because I found a different love and respect for those
(38:23):
who all go out there and serve our, you know.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Our country.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
When I went out there a couple of years ago
and kind of hopped around to different bases and saw
the Marines, the Navy, the army and what they do.
I realized something that it's something bigger than just going
out there and saying you're going to war, you're fighting.
It's way bigger than that man. So I have a
different love and respect for him. But when I was eighteen,
(38:49):
I wanted to play football, you know, I wanted to
go to college to play football. So I remember that
guy telling me, are you five nine?
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Man?
Speaker 2 (38:55):
You ain't I mean at that time was five to seven.
He was like, he's too short, huge. Ain't nobody gonna
want you men to play on it. You ain't playing
on receiver in hot I mean in college, you you
ain't d one material. And I remember listening to that
guy do it, and I remember the first time I started,
not even started, but the first time I got in
the game at the Universe of Miami. Unfortunately, I got
(39:16):
in trouble that night afterwards, But when I got back
around that school, I came home and I went looking
for that dude. I want to look him in the
eye because that's the type of guy I've always been
about it. So that's why I say, man, you know,
when it's all sit and done, man, just a guy
that took advantage of every opportunity.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
To me, I think that's more that's more fitting.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
I was a guy that embraced every opportunity and took
full advantage of it, making the most.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Of every opportunity man.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
And as cool as.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
It to see this chapter close for you, which is
the ring of fame reeel like we're right in the
middle of your book man, because it already accomplished it
so much, just so many more new chapters that you're experiencing, man,
So we appreciate you always dropping game on us. Man.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
What a big week, brother, Yeah, thank you, man.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I appreciate you for having a of course man command
this family, our Next Man Up, mister E to the nine.
We will all be celebrating him at halftime this Sunday
when we take on the New York Giants. Our guy,
our favorite, mister Santana Moss, my brother. Appreciate you and
congratulations on everything, brother man, this family. We hope you've
enjoyed this episode of Next Man Up. Make sure you
(40:19):
stream the previous seasons of Next Man Up on the
Commander's YouTube page or listen wherever you get your podcast.
We appreciate y'all love and support so much. So much
so that you allowed us to get nominated for not one,
but two People's Choice Podcast Awards, Best Male Hosted and
Best black Mail Hosted, all for the Next Man Up Podcasts.
We couldn't do that without y'all love and support. We
(40:39):
appreciate y'all so much. If you have yet, make sure
you hit the subscribe button, make sure you follow, make
sure you like, make sure you share wherever you get
your podcast. I'm Roan Coble JUNR. This is Next Man Up.
I'll catch y'all right,
So we got some big, some big bruises in there.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Man, And I'm like, okay, now you're getting along. We're
getting a little long winning when talking about me.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Can we move on?
Speaker 4 (00:11):
Like, I just want to play ball, play fast, have fun.
I feel like once you throw expectations on things, that
kind of you got to try to live up to
that hype. So I got no expectations.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Man, I'm just go out damn ball, like I know
how I gotta imagine this part might not have been
something about that. No.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Look, I told myself, man, I wanted to be in
Miami with my feet kicked up, with an unbrother in
my gass and an umbrother over my head, you know,
on somebody beach.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
But now I just feel like I'm free and I
could just go play play ball, you know, go play
fast because I know the players, I know the system,
I know the guys that I'm playing with.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
You know, if I put my all into some then
I should get the.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Same out of it. And that's what I said. If
you take care of football, football won't take care of you.
And here we are. You know, I'm teen years later.
You know football is still taking care of me. And
Sean would have been probably telling me you knew it
was coming. You knew it was coming.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
The Next Man Up Podcast is presented by Lansdown from
kick off to checking score, game change and getaway in
the heart of loud Lansdown Resort, proud partner of the
Washington Commanders for the Man. This family here with a
very very special guests for the Next Man Up. We
are heading into week one, be at the crib to
take on the New York Giants and this guy right
(01:25):
here his poison. I only have a big game, but
a huge season. My brother'sron paying. How you doing, man,
I'm good, feeling good. Hey brother, It's good to have
you here. Appreciated man, because we know you up against it.
First days, first man. Last time I spoke to you,
it was last off season for the season it started.
How was this off season for you?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It was good, man. I had trained a bunch, got
spent a lot of time with the fam and just got.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Ready for the season.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Got ready for this season.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And last year you told me a big part of
your preparation, what's recovery, what's learning how to take care
of your body, learning how to keep that long jib
be going was that the same point of emphasis this offseason.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
This off season was really just like just like endurance
and just trying to get myself in the mindset of
one like when I just like taking my shot and
being able to know when when when is my chance
and go out there and take it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
You know what about last year or just your whole
career that makes you say, you know what that needs
to be a point of emphasis. I need to really
figure out that timy aspect of my game.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
You know, it's just like after just watching last year film,
you can just tell, like you like as football player,
you know when certain play is about to happen, and
like you know when it's your chance to go go
out there and just do the things God gave you
the ability to do. So just being able to feel
that sense in the game and then go out there
and take it.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I know. And this is just me watching from the
outside right Like when we sat last year, you had
not played it down. This is new coaching staff, new
defensive coordinator, new ownership, there's a lot of new parts.
Did it like a prove it year for you know,
it was a lot of contract year. However, this is
a new defensive coordinat. It's a new staff, they got
to learn you, they didn't draft you. Was it did
(03:09):
it feel Did you feel that kind of pressure? No?
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I didn't feel like approved year for me. I just
felt she was just trying to get used to new
plays and the new bodies I had around me, and
just getting the feel for how things are. But now
I just feel like I'm free and I could just
go play play ball, you know, go play fast because
I know the plays, I know the system, I know
(03:32):
the guys that I'm playing with.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
You know, man, you said it wasn't a proven year,
but brother, you did prove it right, because this Stevens
alone looks very different than two years ago with me
and you first met, or even last year when we
were speaking. So much would change, but one thing that
stayed the same was you. They had a voter confidence
in you to keep you around when they moved so
many other people. Did you feel that voter confidence? And
how great was that to be able to earn that
(03:54):
so quickly with a new staff.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I just come into work. I don't really try to
pay attention to all that because I know that that
could throw you off your game too, So I just
come in and try to work my heart is and
to try to put good stuff on tape, just be
example for the younger guys and just get to it.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And that's exactly what you Dove man.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
You've gotten very very comfortable, Like you said, things are
able to slow down a little bit because you're in
YouTube of the system. Can you elaborate on that a
little more? And what about Joe, which junior system works
for doron pain and why it brings the best out
of you?
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Joe he let guys just beat them like he always
has a turn. Let the studs be the studs. And
I just feel like in the system, it's a lot
of opportunities for guys who go out there and make
big plays within the system. And I feel like if
we just run the scheme as it's drawn up and
guys don't go out their way to try to do things,
(04:49):
I feel like it'll be good for us.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And you use the word freedom, I could play free
the way you said it makes me feel like maybe
you haven't felt.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
That, no freedom like this until Like I know my
assignment and I can go play fast.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Have you felt that before up until this point in
your career? Because I meant changes.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
It's like that second year is always that second year,
like after you get with the new coaching staff, then
you even played it a little bit, and then the
next year it's like, Okay, I know what's going I know,
I know this play. I don't have to think about
it or being kind of timid. I can just play ball.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
And there's a lot of question marks around this defensive line,
not because of lack of talent. Actually the opposite. There's
so much talent that's been added onto this defensive line. Man,
what can what can fans expect when they see you
line ab out there, when they see when they see
Ken Law wise, what's it going to be? Like?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Shoot, we got some some big, some big bruises in there. Man,
that boy Ken Law, he gonna be a nice defensive
tackle for us. He's strong, physical, and we got Johnny
Noon coming back. He's really explosive, young guy, got some vets,
my boy Vaughn and autumn end guys, bro it's gonna
(06:02):
be It's gonna be fun. It's just it's just been
fun trying to, you know, pick pick each other brains
and just get on one of court so he can
get ready for the season.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Use the word fun.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I think we've all had fun of watching you stand
next to a guy like Ken Law. I had to
interview him on the sideline and on Sixth Street. My man,
maybe look like a baby. He's just such a massive guy,
but he's also quick. He's also very athletic. You talking
about picking these new guys bring what have you got
to learn and help Ken Law with his well, because
I know it's an iron shopping the iron type situation.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
I mean, it's just from I got to learn from
Ken Law just like just be big, just play big.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
He used.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
He uses his like his size as his strength, and
he go out there and play big. And I feel
like sometimes I forget to play big, like I always
be throwing my hands and stuff. So I just I
just learned to play big from him.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
On what year is this for you?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Many? Man?
Speaker 1 (06:56):
The average lifespan for an NFL player is like two
to three years. You made it eight years, man. That
is a level of longevity. And our sponsors over at
lands Down Resort, they like to know that our players
are not only putting it working on the field, but
also taking time off the field to have that downtime,
have that recovery time you talked about paying attention to
your body and keeping yourself right. How have you taken
(07:17):
advantage of your downtime when you get it? We know
it's very rare, especially in the season, but how do
you take advantage of that?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Man?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
If you go ask anybody, I'm a man of many hobbies,
men and many hobbies, like I'll be fishing, snowboarding, snowboarding, yeah,
I love snowboarding.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
What else?
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I'll be on four wheeling, all types of stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
No, see, I get the four wheeling piece, I get
the fishing piece. Because of where you're from and how
you grew up snowboarder, bro, what.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Does that come from?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
I just I tried it once and I was took
very tense. I had got I got like three boards
and now all the equipment and stuff season. That's why
i'd be when it's snowing.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I'm trying to imagine you, man is crazy, But that's dope.
You have a cirtain. No, No, I think you like
that one man. You got to try that to a
man of many hobbies. Brother, Yeah, sir man. And then
you know this year again, going into year eight, that's
that's wild man, and you're gonna have a true test
on your hands taking on the New York Giants. We're
going to be at the crib. What do you expect
(08:16):
from yourself going into this year in this season?
Speaker 4 (08:20):
All right, man, I'm going in this year with no
expectations honestly, Like, I just want to play ball, play fast,
have fun. I feel like once you throw expectations on things,
that kind of you got to try to move up
to that hype. So I got no expectations. Man, I'm
just go out damn ball like I know how.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
And that's probably part of that feeling free that you mentioned,
just being able to go out there and do it.
And you're the big vet bro. You wanted to fight
the oldest statesmit here as far as the people that
have been part of the Bernie and Gold got a
guy like Johnny k newan man coming off of a
tough injury looking to make some big places. Man, what
have you seen from him? I'll be able to help
him develop man.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Like I said, he is a really explosive, explosive young guy.
Like I just when I see Johnny, I think about
my youngest just always try to pick up pick like
like sticking around the older guys and just going hard.
Like when I see him, I'm be like, damn, how
you going so hard right now?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I kind of so.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
He got that explosive twitch to him. So it's just
fun to see John.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
We can't wait to see y'all out there. Last question, Brother,
you're gonna be back at the crib fort of the
best fans in the NFL giving miss Mississippi fans while
they should show up and show out and pull up
for us on we won.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Man, it's about to be a good time. Man, I
know we sold out. I want everybody to come out,
be loud.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
As possible on defense.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Let's go. But the start of the season, let's get it.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Let's go, man.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
No better person to start the season with the my guy.
The wrong thing pours for a big, big year, My brother,
I appreciate you. Com man, this family our next man up. Okay,
appreciate come man, this family, our next man up. It's
somebody probably the most special person this weekend. My guy
changed the game, turned the track scholarship into one of
(09:58):
the best NFL career as we have ever seen. Was undersized,
but didn't play like it, played like the biggest man
on the field and is the biggest man in this
studio right now. Our next man up, my guy, stay
ten to nine. Santantam's my brother brother. Appreciate you, man.
Always good to.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
See you for having me man.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
I know, man, I know this is interesting for you
because out of all the stars I'm around it, all
the athletes, I'm around you not really into the light
being on you. You're not really into all this. So
what has this been like? All this celebration, all this love,
all this attention.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You have to embrace it.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I think that's one of the things that I've kind
of always been about, is embracing the moment. That's why
I say, you know, we have our different ways of
I guess you could say navigating through our journeys.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I was a guy I.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Never looked too far ahead, but I was always prepared
for what was ever out there.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
But I'm going to live for today.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
So that's how I've been and that's how I approach everything,
you know what I mean. So I'm embracing it because
I know it's here's my time.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
When you play this.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Game and you don't really get a lot of the
praises for all the hard work you put in because
it's one of those those worlds that you know, it's
always somebody that did something better than you did, regardless
if you did something well or not. And you know,
for our kids, it's gonna be hard for them to
kind of, you know, appreciate others approval, you know, But
(11:21):
me myself personally, man, when I've done it, you ain't
nothing you could tell me. And that's what I feel
about this situation. I feel like I'd done it, so
regardless if I was going to get any recognition for
it or not, I was happy to say I can
always look up them stats and go see the film
and say, well, tell me what did it better? And
we've seen so many people have the stats and do
all the things on the field and not get that recognition.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So even though you want expecting it, when it did come,
when you surprised, Yeah, I was surprised.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I mean because you don't never you never know, you know,
you don't know what you you don't know the criteria
what you need to be considered one of those guys.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
And you know, I got homeboys.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
That advocate for me to get my you know, college
Football Hall of Fame, that we know that the criteria
you reach it, you know what I mean, I've reached it,
and it's so many other different things. And then when
you talk about NFL, you know, the one thing that
everybody wants to be a part of that Hall of
Fame fraternity. You know, you wish a lot of guys
say they played for that. I never played for that,
(12:19):
but I know I knew playing well enough to get
recognized one day.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
For it would be a huge accomplishment.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
And so you see numbers, and that's all you can
kind of chase is the numbers.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Rather your team.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Allows you to go get them or not, you have
to chase the numbers that gave those guys the criteria
to be.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Considered, you know, one of those all time greats.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So when it gets caught up into the things that
I can't control, I never kind of worry about it.
I just know that as long as I do my
thing as being who I am as a player for
my team and for myself, if those numbers are reached
and I should get the recognition, then I'll be ready
for it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And that takes a lot of maturity. But if you
go back to young Tanner, Florida, right, it's dream. All
kids dream of the things that they're going to be
able to accomplish. Could you have ever dreamed or envision
like we're looking at you back here. Man, You've had
a stellar football career, but you've also had an amazing
broadcast career that's really blossoming right now. Could you have
dreamed of any of this?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I dream to be great.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
I dream to be a pro football player, for sure,
But when you look at that road and you saw
the journey, you would have probably never said it was
going to happen the way it did, you know. And
I remember like going through so much as a kid
man you name it from you know, not having opportunities,
to having opportunities to get an opportunity, then almost getting
(13:39):
it taken away from me in college, you know, then
to bounce back from that ordeal and then to kind
of skyrocket into everything. Then you get drafted and you
barely even got into college, and then you get you
get drafted first round and you get hurt immediately out
out the gate. So so many different ups and downs
throughout the career. But I've had had the same focus,
(14:01):
I had the same I kept the same faith. And
that's the one thing that I give a credit to
me having the chance to achieve what I you know
I have because I never, I guess you can say,
detoured from my true beliefs and me and my true
beliefs and what it should be minds, And I think
that's a lot of things I try to tell my kids, like.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
They don't know, you know what I mean, what's the future.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
But if whatever you believe, if you keep that belief
and you stay, you know, like I always say, checking in,
you keep, you keep, you keep chipping at it, you
should have your day.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
And that's what I think.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Now when I'm sitting back and when we look back
and reflect about some of the things you was able
to accomplish on the football field, and then so many
opportunities that that that being that guy on the football
field that has been given to you. Now you kind
of just smile about it because I used to always
tell myself, if I put my all into some then
I should get the same out of it.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
And that's what I said. If you take care of football,
football gonna te care you.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
And here we are. You know, I'm teen years later.
You know, football is still taking care of me.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
And I hear you talk about those ups and downs
and me and You've talked about it on the last
time you were on Next Man Up and all the
different things you have been through, And I know I'm
getting to the age now where I think about my trials,
manipulations and how it got me to this point. Would
you change anything about the journey with Santa La Mass
change anything? With all these ups and downs. We know
they're tough when you go through it, But now on
(15:26):
the back end, what would change?
Speaker 3 (15:28):
I won't change nothing. I think it's life.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Like I said before, you don't know what life is
going to present, you know, but you have to be
ready for And I think if if you're ready for
the good and the bad, you know, I always expect
you know, uh, you know. I always hope for the
hope for the best, but expect the worst. And it's
hard to kind of put it that way, but you
have to have that kind of mindset. And if you
(15:50):
don't have, if you don't train or or I guess
you could say, fine, tune yourself to understand that you know,
where there are is women women's it's also a line
somewhere it's gonna be yourself. It's something gonna leave you
a bit of taste and everybody have their own way
of wording that, but that's my way of it. And
that's why I say when I go through some of
the some of those those setbacks, from the setbacks that
(16:15):
I didn't do it earlier, I was able to conquer
that one. You see what I'm saying. So you have
to use them mess building blocks. You know, if it
wasn't for me doing this at nine or ten, I
wouldn't be able to get through this at fifteen, and
vice versa. And then it just keep you keep stacking
them and before you know it, you're on this high
mountain looking down like, man, it wasn't easy, but I'm here.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
You see what I'm saying. So that's how I look
at life.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Man, That's why I embrace it and I appreciate it,
because if you don't fail, man, you're not gonna understand
what you know.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Success feels like turning losses into wins. Now, let's go
back to training camp. Before you knew you were going
to be in the Ring of Fame. Man, we had
set up all this stuff for you. I think you
had kind of an idea something was going on, because
take us back to that, man, when you were doing
command Center Training Camp. Lib you go check that on
the commandeds. You two page right now when we're doing that,
(17:04):
walk us through that moment where you hear us talking
about it to be Miss, just soliloquy about you to
your family just coming and rushing.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I was wondering where be Miss was going at, you know,
with this whole little ordeal with me, and I'm like, okay,
I knew he was gonna do something, but why keep
talking about Tanner? You know my boy Tanne, you know,
even brothers, and every time they see me, they see ten.
I'm like, okay, now you're getting along, you're getting a
little long winning when talking about me. Can we move on?
And then he was like, You're gonna be with me forever.
(17:32):
And that's when it just hit me. Before you even
before I even saw my you know, saw my family
come from, you know, come from behind the little wall.
I'm like, did you just say and Boomy said it.
And when he said I was gonna, you know, uh,
come week one I be inducted into the Ring of Fame,
it hit me.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
It hit me because, like I said before, you.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Don't know when you don't know if you even fit
the mold for the guys who up there. But you just, oh,
you put a good body of work out there, man,
and you hope one day that it can, you know,
give you that kind of recognition.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
And like I say, man, I kid you.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Not like if I've never got that kind of opportunity
to be up there, if it never came my way
the way the fans appreciate what I've done for them. Man. Look, man,
I walked through that stadium at times, man, and I
can't believe the praise they give me because I'm just like, Man,
I just went out there and work.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
I went to work, and they appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
So as a player, when I was asked, you know
what you want your legacy to be, and I used
to always think about it, I don't know, you know,
And I say, when I look back at it, I
was like, you know, a guy that did more with less.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And that's how I look at it, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
I mean, I didn't always get a chance to achieve
some of the things I saw my peers doing, but
when I did, trust me, it was one of those things.
It was the moments that you want to be there
to see. And that's how I appreciate the game. And
then the fans always let me know that, you know,
when I was out there, always laid it on the
line for them and they appreciate it. So to know
(19:05):
that the team, the organization felt the same way. Man,
it was joy and those tales was tears of joy.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Man.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
It was such a heavy moment. And like you know me,
you work with me a lot. I don't get too nervous.
I don't get too raded when it comes.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
To the stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
But with stuff like that, Bro, I had butterflies. I
was nervous because it's such a big moment, right, It's
such a big part of your story. And again, that
kind of stuff isn't promised no matter what you do
in this world. Sometimes you'll never get those flowers when
you're here to smell them. So to me, it was
just amazing to see you be able to receive those
flowers from my God that loves you so much, a
beamish but then to see all the people that truly
(19:37):
love you, not just love you, but I know each
and every one of those people around you were part
of your story, were part of what got you here. Man.
How special was it to be able to share in
that moment because again, you probably just like black noise, like,
oh my god, so entry the real fame. Then all
of a sudden, twenty thirty people fill that tent just
to show.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
You love, I reflected more.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I mean those folks that was there, you know, they
had no choice, because I'm sure they can tell you
a lot that eighty nine have done for them. But
at the same time, we don't look at it like, yeah, man,
when I mess with you, when I rock with you, man,
I don't care about you ever repaying that back.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I just want to show you that every day that
I mess with you like that.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
And my brothers was there, my close friends was there,
and then people that I've become friends with since I've
been here. But the people that I knew that I'm
gonna get a chance to share this moment with the
most wasn't there. And that was my mom and my dad.
And I thought about them instantly immediately because I understood
the whole upbringing and the things that different things that
(20:36):
they showed me as a kid of how to be
successful in life. You know, my mom and dad wasn't
no athletes. I mean when my mom was a hell
of an athlete in high school. But I'm saying as
an adult man, they just raised their kids to be
the best that we can be. And I saw how
they worked. I saw what they did when we didn't
have We ain't know. I never went through a moment
(20:57):
of not feeling night we didn't have anything, because they
always made sure that we had everything we needed.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
You might not have what you want, but you had
what you need.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And so being able to say I get a chance
to kind of I called it like my stamp to
my family name. That's a stamp for us to say, damn,
my son went up there and he was able to
come here and do that, you know. And you know
when you look up there and see that name, it's
not just Santana Moss, it's Lord and Natalie Moss, you
(21:27):
know what I mean, that's their son. So to me,
that's like the ultimate thank y'all for giving me air,
giving me this life, and then I'm able to pay
y'all back in that that fashion.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
What was that conversation like, because of course they weren't
able to be here in the tent, thank goodness, it
was like one hundred and ten degrees. But when you
were able to call them and let them know, hey, Mama, Hey, pops,
your boy did it? Man? What was that conversation?
Speaker 3 (21:47):
They knew, they already had knew.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Everybody knew but me, you know, my brother, because my
brother got the news like a month or so early,
and they was basically telling everybody, Hey, this is going down,
but don't tell Tan. You know what I'm saying, And
that's that's the name that they called me a home,
that's my nickname, and so they knew. My mom said, taing,
I ain't gonna lie. I was, you know, and to
that day that they actually surprised you. When I saw it,
(22:10):
She's like, I shared a till because I know it
felt good for you know what I'm saying, all the
work we donet see you go through so much to
have that kind of accomplishment or to have that kind
of honor, you know, to be honored in that way.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
She said, I had, I shared the till.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
But they gonna be here come Sunday, and so you know,
hopefully they don't get emotional like I told them.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
On drafted.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
I remember getting drafted and I remember thinking them then,
you know what I mean. And every time I've had
one of those pivotal moments in my career.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
That's what I think about the most.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
You know what I'm saying, I'm like, Damn, these people
here bless me to be able to walk this walk
this earth, man, and you know, and breathe in this air.
And all I want to do as a kid was
make them proud. And I can honestly say, Man, they
done saw it. They saw it all they've been in.
They've been in every battle with me. They've been in
every high, and they've been on every low. And for
(22:58):
me to be able to continue to give them things
to be happy about, Man, that's more than a blessing.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Man, that is so dope, And it's just honestly a blessing.
You even get to share this, right, because so many
of us don't even get to share these big moments.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
With our parents.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Who salute your parents, Man, can't wait to see that.
And it isn't just the fan base that's shown you love.
It's not just Command Center that showed you love. ESPN.
Now you're on the CW all of these national outlets,
Bleacher Report. Man, you was in a car in a
NASCAR riding around. Man, has that been surreal for you
to see the national love you? Because you know what
you've done here, you know what you mean to this community.
(23:30):
But the entire nation is showing love the Santanta mass
and giving your flowers. Man, it's got to be overwhelming
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah, I didn't really think about it, you know, so much,
because I feel like since I've stepped away from the
game a little bit, I've been doing a lot more
in front of the camera, so I kind of get
a lot of that attention, you know, rightfully, so because
I was out of a player, you know what I mean,
And that name always rained, you know, people were telling
(23:56):
me my name was something, specially before I even touched
the football.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
You know.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I was in elementary school and I had a peeteacher said, man,
ten years from now, I'm gonna hear that name.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Wow. And I remember ten years, it won't even ten years.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I had to move from that area and I'm running tracks,
you know, summer track, and the guy just so happened
to be one of the guys that was clocking me
come across the line, and when he wanted to get me,
like you know how they you know, everybody who's clocking
the individual guys ran in that race.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
When he went to grab me and he looked at
my face. He was like, sat town of Moss.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
I told you you're gonna be special, and I'm like, yeah,
I kind of been working on this from day one,
you know what I mean. Like I was in the
panther running around the house giving people a causing havoc.
My mama to get that boy outside because he just
you know what I mean, That's what I've always been on,
Like I was gonna do something with that football and running.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
That's all I did. You know, I hit the ground running.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
So when I see some of the stuff that's coming
or the ass came my way since I stepped away
from the game. Like I said before, Man, I embraced
it because I understand it been a long journey to
kind of do what I done, and if it's credit due,
then I'm gonna receive it in that way, you know
what I mean. I'm not gonna shy away from it.
But like I said before, I'm not a person to
(25:08):
sit there and want to want it or ask for
it when it comes. Man, I embraced it and I
appreciate it, and I tried to do it in the.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Not so nonchalant wait.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Like I told you before, I'm one of those guys
that I might be jumping for joy inside, but I
can never show that because I'm not that kind of person.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
You know what I'm saying, super noachalant man. And it's funny.
I think about a coach selling you you're gonna beat
somebody some day, and I'm sure you heard that, like
you said, from a bunch of people. The name rang
bells before you ever hit that field. But it's one
thing to have that belief, but it's different when you
finally see it in yourself, when you believe in yourself
and know that you're capable of this. When it's saying
Town of Mars, know that he was going to be
what everybody thought he was capable, I.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Don't know, man, I was just wired to always believe.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I remember being a kid, and this is how I
know I was kind of different. And I'm not saying
that in a way like this guy, which is so
much different than everybody. No, it's not going to be
portrayed that way. But and I asked my kids this,
what are y'all thinking at times? And I'm not asking
them that because they did something odd or something wrong.
(26:11):
I just remember the thoughts I used to have, Like
I remember being outside my grandmother's house one day and
just running up and down, and that's where we was
living there, and I was running up and down.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I would go walk to the corner.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
And it was a it was a lot of traffic
that came on that particular street that we was on,
and I would walk to the corner and wait for
every car to hit the corner and race them to
my grandmother's house to see if I can beat them
before they go on the highway, because it was it
was a ramp to go on the highway right dead
smack in front of my grandmother's house. So I know
it's a lot of traffic coming this way, so I
(26:44):
might as well get this running in. And I'm young man,
and my my my uncles and aunts, my grandmother, and
they all would tell me stories like baby wees just
watch you in that window, like look at this boy,
he racing every car. And the older I got, and
this is when I'm talking about from the time I
was able to walk and run.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
As I get.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Older, I started getting my hair cut to the barber shop
around the street, and people like you that boy, I'd
be racing a car on the street.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Boy, you fast boy, you you know what I'm saying.
So I remember that's how it started.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And at that time too, my mom weren't gonna let
me play football, so I had to do something, you know.
So when I look back at those moments, man, as
a kid, I was always dreaming, Man, I'm gonna do
this one day. Man, I'm gonna do this one day. Man,
I want better life than this one day, you know
what I'm saying. And like, at the same time, you
live in your best life because you don't know no
other life, right, but you kind of have a sense
(27:35):
that there's something better, but you just you just see
other people having something better, but you really don't know,
you know what I mean. So oh, Man, as a kid,
when I as early as I can start dreaming and believing,
I did it. And I never never detoured from my
true beliefs and dreams. I'm always kept it strong. And
(27:55):
one of my homeboys just told me the stories. Like Tanner,
you know, my homeboy wasn't even playing and when we
became friends, it was off of him coming into the
weight room one day and he ain't know what he
was doing. So I told him to come work out
with me. It was a year after I had just
played my first year of varsity football, and before you
know it, he's working out with me every day and
he like, man, so how long you been doing this.
(28:16):
I'm like, well, I've played little league and now I'm
playing this. I'm like, I'm trying to get to school.
He like, get to school how. I'm like, I'm trying
to go to college off of this. He's like, you
can go to college.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Off of this. I'm like yeah, he like how?
Speaker 2 (28:26):
And when I told him, me say, I'm going to
school too fast forward, me and him was going our
first visit together.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
So it's crazy for him or someone else to tell me, bro,
what you told.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Me about football and where it could take.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
You change my whole perspective of me going to school
and wanting to play football even better because now I
can get seen and get noticed and get a scholarship.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
And when he told me that, I didn't, I had
no clue.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
I thought he knew already, but he said, now, everything
you told me that day was my first time knowing
that I can do that and play and actually go
to college to play. Because some people aren't come up
with you coming with then I come up with both
their parents, and I come up with all that support system.
So it's dope that that was actually a really cool
It touched me, man, because I'm sitting there like, damn,
this is the dude I've been around all my life. Practically,
(29:12):
I never knew that this is what got you motivated
to go to school. And he told me, say, the
first off I get, I'm gonna commit, And that was
our both for our first off we all committed. I
just ended up going to Miami on the Tras scholarship
because I just felt like it was something better.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
It's crazy how things start, man, because you chasing cars.
Then it leads to one of the best careers we
ever seen them Bernie in goal. Now your career has
pivoted to being on camera man Amy nominated. Man, you
have multiple shows. You keep adding and adding shows the
things that you dreamed about and always knew. I gotta
imagine this part might not have been something about that.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Nah.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Look, I told myself, Man, I want to be in
Miami with my feet kicked up, with an unbrother and
my gass and an unbrother.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Over my head. You know, on somebody beach. But like
I said said before, man.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
You look, you look at what you have kind of
brought into this world, your kids, and you're like, Okay,
I can't stop.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Working because they're expensive.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Regardless no matter how much money you got in the bank,
you got to keep keep that.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Thing rolling in.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
But also, you know, like I always tell you to
tell folks, I'm on a boy opportunity and if something
is presented to me, man I tried. My heart is
not to say no to it, especially if it makes sense.
And I think when I you know, I never retired
at first initially, and so the fans was like, when
you're gonna retire? They thought I was still working out
(30:36):
and I just happened to pop in town because I
was in.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
Miami waiting on the call, and.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
My agent in me was going back and forth with
just you know, teams that had called him, and deep
down the side, I'm like, man, I ain't trying to
leave Washington go play nowhere else. And I had already
talked to the GM at the time. He was telling
me like, look, man, you know, in respect for you,
we're gonna we're gonna allow you to go out there
and test the waters. But I'm like, at the end
of the day, I'm a free agent. I don't want
(31:02):
to test the water. I just want to come here.
But when he told me that, being a guy who
I am, I didn't even go against what he wanted
because I could easy say, nah, bro, just bring me
in and let me compete. But to me, that was
like you basically didn't give me a chance to compete.
So why I don't want to beage you for I'm
not gonna beg you for anything, you know what I mean.
I'm gonna go make my minds or make away from myself.
(31:23):
And so with that process. In that process, I end
up enrolling to school to get my NBA. While I
was sitting out and I'm like, you know, the opportunity
had presented itself, my agent, like you might might want to,
you know, dive into this if you ever had any aspirations.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Of getting another degree.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I'm like, I didn't, but I do need somewhere from
my mind to go, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And that was the best thing that happened to me.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
And while I was in school feel like a fish
out of water because I had been out of school
for so long. It gave me something to kind of.
I guess you can say go after again.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Like I was. I was eager to get this degree.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Now football was in the rear view, and I remember
on my agent like, hey, man, I got a call
from this person.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
That person.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
I say, look, I'm gonna take you like this after
eight weeks. If I ain't getting the call that I want,
I'm good. And I believe it was like the week
that I told him I'm good, we got too calls
and I was like, to be honest with you, man,
I'm happy that people still see what I saw on myself,
but I'm gonna be honest with myself. I'm not finna
go and be Santana Moss, you know, coming off the
(32:29):
streets like this.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
I'm too old and to these years of football to
be just coming in you on your team where everybody
do play all these games and they're in top shape
to be saying I can go out here and compete now.
So I just said I'm good, and I came up here.
Then I called Dan. I said, damn, I'm just letting
you know, man, I'm gonna hang them up. I'm in
(32:52):
school right now, getting this NBA. But I'm gonna hang
them up, and you know, one day I gotta come
up there and I retire.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Blah blah blah. He's like, no, I want to see
you this weekkend.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
They had just made the playoffs, I believe, and I
flew up to go to the playoff game and I
remember being around everybody. No one saw me for like
almost the whole year, and the media folks that asked
me what I was doing, They say, hey, you want
a job, you want to work? I was like, sure,
because it presented itself, right, I said, It's hard to
(33:20):
say no when something presented itself, whether it's something he
was looking forward to or not. And to me, I
think that was one of the best decisions of my life,
just taking advantage of an opportunity that was given.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
And the rest has been history.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Man.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
I think I've been growing in this.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Space for the last what eleven years now, you know
what I mean, just trying to get better and trying
to perfect it and be as be.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
What I can be to the profession, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
And it's dope for me because I get to see
the fruits of your labor in this business in real
time when We're walking around, whether we're in the DMV,
whether we're in Dallas, New York, Philly, and people come
up to you and they're so excited to see you,
and instead of mentioning all the things you did on
the field and accomplished, they mentioned command center. They miss
your commands in the pockets, they miss your players. Club man,
(34:05):
How wild is that for you? Somebody who was known
for not having no love for the media back in
the day, to being somebody that's recognized for being a
media face.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
It just show you where our world is at today.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
You know everything on our phone and so you know,
those who like podcasts, those who like anything dealing with sports,
especially the local team. And you know, we they wrap
us hard out here in Washington. I'm from Miami, and
you know we was the Hurricanes when I was playing
playing in college.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
And if we wasn't good, people weren't.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Showing up, you know what I'm saying. So I understand
the difference of a sports town. You know, as much
as we want to be known for Sportstown or sports State,
aint nothing like up here.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
You know what I mean. These people are gonna rep
you through and through.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
They gonna deal with the bad, but they can't wait
for the good and that's what I love about it.
And to know that folks get a chance to see
those shows and watch, you know, I be like, y'all
watch that, you know, I mean, honestly, I'll be shocked
because you don't think people are paying attention to that stuff,
but they do. And a lot of them want to
hear from the people that they watch play the game
because they like our insights.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
They like what we have to say about it.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
And that's why, you know, now it makes me, like
I said, I keep bringing back these same words. I'm
embracing that knowing that, look, man, I'm giving them something
that you know, they want to hear from me.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
It's not just I'm on the show because I was
once a former Washington player.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Yeah I was, and they love to see those.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Same guys, but they also want to get that information
from those guys who once played.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
You know, right between them saying white.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Lines man, and we'll get to see you on Game
Day live with me and be missed. Man. Tanner could
have took the time off, but he said he gonna
work while he's getting hotter. Then we're gonna party. Laid
that Tanner Man last thing before you go, bro, something
that stuck out to me last time we spoke, and
it's wrung in my ear for since you mentioned it
to me. Used to say, when you and Sean t
built your relationship, it built from that plane ride, those
(35:58):
plane rides where he would just be tap Tannement, we're
gonna talk.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
We're gonna talk.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Force you to talk, even though you didn't feel like it.
If y'all were sitting on this plane right now, brother,
and he knew what you were about to accomplish, what
you were about to be entering, something that he's entered
as well, what do you think that conversation would be
like on that plane.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
He had been like, you knew this, you knew it
was gonna happen. You know what I mean? Like we
have a mentality and it's something.
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Like I think about all the guys from you know,
South Florida, and then you can just say from guys
from the Hurricanes too.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Us you a guys man.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
We put into work, you know, and our work shows
because for one, the school has always been one of
those schools that you're going to watch the guy that
come out of that school.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
But not only that, it's just a.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Way about how we we approach business. And Sean would
have been probably telling me you knew it was coming.
You knew it was coming because you know, like I
said before, we understand what we're doing, We're gonna get
recognized for one way or another, you know what I mean.
And when it happens, like I said before, I just
embrace it and you know I'll be appreciated of it.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Hey, man, bro, we're so excited man to celebrate you,
my brother, Santana mass May. You've done so much for
us on and off the field.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Brother.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
We appreciate you, and you alluded to this a little bit. Man.
Last thing, my brother, what do you want Santana Moss's
legacy to be when it's all setting down?
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
I mean when I look at it, man, I try
to search something. I try to search for something more
than what I just told you about a guy who
did more with less.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
But I think that's been me. That's been me.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I've been a guy all my life that almost was given,
you know, but so much to achieve some of the
things that I wanted. And the one thing I've always did,
I took. I took what you gave me and made
more out of it. That's how I can look at it.
And that's what it's always been about. Like I said,
even when I got into college, you know, when I
had to go through that back door of being a
(37:49):
walk on, I could have easily just tapped out and say, look, man,
I know I'm a hell of a football player, but
this is the card I've been dealt, So just sit
there and be less.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Than and who you are. I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
I was gonna get in there and say, Okay, I'm
in this dough now. Now it's time to show them
what time it is. You know what I'm saying. It's
been the same way for everything, for every other thing.
Even when I was going into college. I remember I
had an Army and recruit guy who was recruiting me
in school. I don't know why, but you know they
had those guys in school, and nothing against the Army
because I found a different love and respect for those
(38:23):
who all go out there and serve our, you know.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Our country.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
When I went out there a couple of years ago
and kind of hopped around to different bases and saw
the Marines, the Navy, the army and what they do.
I realized something that it's something bigger than just going
out there and saying you're going to war, you're fighting.
It's way bigger than that man. So I have a
different love and respect for him. But when I was eighteen,
(38:49):
I wanted to play football, you know, I wanted to
go to college to play football. So I remember that
guy telling me, are you five nine?
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Man?
Speaker 2 (38:55):
You ain't I mean at that time was five to seven.
He was like, he's too short, huge. Ain't nobody gonna
want you men to play on it. You ain't playing
on receiver in hot I mean in college, you you
ain't d one material. And I remember listening to that
guy do it, and I remember the first time I started,
not even started, but the first time I got in
the game at the Universe of Miami. Unfortunately, I got
(39:16):
in trouble that night afterwards, But when I got back
around that school, I came home and I went looking
for that dude. I want to look him in the
eye because that's the type of guy I've always been
about it. So that's why I say, man, you know,
when it's all sit and done, man, just a guy
that took advantage of every opportunity.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
To me, I think that's more that's more fitting.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
I was a guy that embraced every opportunity and took
full advantage of it, making the most.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Of every opportunity man.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
And as cool as.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
It to see this chapter close for you, which is
the ring of fame reeel like we're right in the
middle of your book man, because it already accomplished it
so much, just so many more new chapters that you're experiencing, man,
So we appreciate you always dropping game on us. Man.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
What a big week, brother, Yeah, thank you, man.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
I appreciate you for having a of course man command
this family, our Next Man Up, mister E to the nine.
We will all be celebrating him at halftime this Sunday
when we take on the New York Giants. Our guy,
our favorite, mister Santana Moss, my brother. Appreciate you and
congratulations on everything, brother man, this family. We hope you've
enjoyed this episode of Next Man Up. Make sure you
(40:19):
stream the previous seasons of Next Man Up on the
Commander's YouTube page or listen wherever you get your podcast.
We appreciate y'all love and support so much. So much
so that you allowed us to get nominated for not one,
but two People's Choice Podcast Awards, Best Male Hosted and
Best black Mail Hosted, all for the Next Man Up Podcasts.
We couldn't do that without y'all love and support. We
(40:39):
appreciate y'all so much. If you have yet, make sure
you hit the subscribe button, make sure you follow, make
sure you like, make sure you share wherever you get
your podcast. I'm Roan Coble JUNR. This is Next Man Up.
I'll catch y'all right,
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