December 2, 2025 • 16 mins
Isaiah Rodgers with Common Man 12-2-25
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Delighted to be joined by Biking's defensive back Isaiah Rodgers. Isaiah,
thanks for coming back.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We do appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Thank you for having me appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yeah, now, thank you, big round of applause.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
The first thing we have to establish right away is
I'm not your normal media guy. That's you know, kind
of out of shape. Slow, doesn't understand the game. I
played football both sides of the ball. I was a
fierce pass rushing rocket Gibraltar, run stopping defensive lineman and
a precise route running sure him a pass catching tight end.
So I played the game, so I understand twenty two wide.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Nos, you sound like an athlete, man, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I was, of course.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
That was back when I was in fourth, fifth, and
sixth grade. It was a long time ago. With that,
I played football. How long you've been playing football since?
What you're how old? Twenty seven?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Yeah, twenty seven. I've been playing since I was three?
Three three yeah, Florida. You can start playing flag?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
What three?
Speaker 5 (00:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Soccer everything at three years?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Why are you just crawling after each other or are
you actually running?
Speaker 4 (00:51):
They just let us run whichever way and just clap
for us and had us all feeling like we were
the best on the field.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So sort of like heard soccer they called it. You know,
when you first start soccer, they just all follow the ball.
There's thirty kids.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Free for all out there. You didn't even know who
was on teams. They just wear all on T shirts
most of the time.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Were you elite at three? Are a little bit of
a late bloomer.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm still blooming, still blooming. Yeah I was. I was bad.
I was horrible.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Did you play other sports too?
Speaker 4 (01:18):
I was more of a baseball player growing up in track,
but football was more like a family sport, so I
stuck to that.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
Yeah, well I was worked out for you, I mean
baseball center field.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
No, I played picture in short stuff. Okay, I haven't.
I never played outfield, which is crazy.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
But you can run.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Yeah, back then I couldn't. Oh okay, yeah. I didn't
get fast until like college or what happened.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I don't know. I was just slow. So I wasn't
very bloom.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I wasn't very good at BASB. But I used to
play right field. Foul territory.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
That's really going on the field, So it's a whole
nother thing in itself.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
You mass right, Yeah, yeah, how'd you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
End up in U Mass?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Was scholarship offer and you offer or did you just
want to go there?
Speaker 5 (01:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
It was an offer. I just wanted to get away
from Florida. I wanted to spare. It's a different, like
a weather, everything's different. And you mastered one of those
teams that, like, one of those schools that stood out
for me.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So I just wanted to just get away.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And go to you go to college or play ball.
Were you pretty convinced I may get drafted in the NFL?
Or were you?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I don't know, who knows whatever?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Nah?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Not my freshman year, I was.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
I left college at one hundred and thirty five pounds,
so I had no chance. Yeah, But I think my
sophomore year when I started like really locking in and
understanding I had a chance after making a few plays
against some of the top schools and then I was like,
all right, cool, let me lock in.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, and then got drafted by the culture coach.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, sixth round twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Did they were there other teams? I mean, how does
that any process even work? Did they go to the combine?
Were you at the combine? Did they just watch your
game and car and say, hey, we kind of like
you want to shit and chat with you and find
out what you're like and go through a few drills.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
My year was different because it was COVID, so we
had everything on Zoom, so I had to sit up
in my living room and backpedal and drills and stuff
for coaches on zoom, study play through zoom. So I
never got to travel to the facilities how the kids
are now or back then.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
But it was a lot different.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
But throughout the draft process, it's weird because teams call
you throughout second round, third round, and you think you're
getting drafted, but they're just calling the check in on you,
seeing how you are being ready for if you become undrafted,
they try to come grab you.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So it's just a lot of phone calls calling.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So as it was.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Getting fourth round, fifth round, getting into the sit, were
you thinking, man, maybe it ain't gonna happen for me.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Well, were you pretty convinced at that point somebody would
grab you?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
I knew I was going to get in somewhere. I
didn't think I was going to get drafted. Once like
the fourth and fifth went by, I was like, all right, cool,
So I kind of just stopped watching it, but my
family was still there.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Everybody's still watching it.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
And then I got a call, uh that I thought
was the call, but that was fourth round, but it
was just a check in. And at that point I
kind of just like, I don't really care anymore if
like just hurry up and get it over right, right?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Colts, Eagles and Vikings kind of like radio town to town,
up and down the dial. What happens in the you know,
like the Colts, you played there? How to jet up
with the Eagles?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
You know? Yeah, I was, I was there three years,
made a stupid young guy decision. I was gambling helping
out a lot of people back then. Long story, but
got suspended for a year. It took a year off
and well the Eagles signed me like two months later.
So I was signed with the Eagles while I was suspended,
and they just basically just kept me like uplifted or
(04:22):
whateverever you want to put it. So I just kind
of just stayed working out, stayed on the NFL type schedule,
came back with them last year, and then went into
free agency and you know ended up here.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You played for him last year?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah, I played for him last year.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Where's your ring.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
It's a little stash stashed up, but I haven't I
haven't looked at it.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
In a while.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, but that's cool because you know a lot of guys,
you know, obviously played for a career for money and
for a ring, and to get one that early in
your career is kind of nice to get that out
of the way.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, I got it out the way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, I feel like if I'm a home here in Minnesota,
I actually do.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I like being in different scene reason in Florida.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Been from Florida to the hot climbing and there's a
lot of things to do. I think Minnesota is perfect
for me and for my family, and it's like really
like nothing too much to do with the weather and everything.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So I actually love it here big.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
This season just hasn't gone the way the teams wanted
offensive even defensively, you couldn't stop the runn early. Defense
playing better now, having trouble to the quarterbacks if you're
not scoring any points, could shut out.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Difficult to go to the complex every day with a
positive attitude or not.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Now, I won't say it's difficult.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I think end of the day, win, lose, draw, whatever,
we all still have a job to do, Like, you
gotta look you gotta look past those games. Those games
do hurt, especially when we just had this weekend. But
you understand, like once you get on the plane and
you get back home, you got to reset, You go
back to your families, reset and get ready to come
in and watch it next week. So we just got
to focus on on the Commanders right now.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
I'm guessing for you specifically too, Right, just from listening
to you, it sounds like there's always been a little
bit of uncertainty in your future, right Like you're small
out of high school, you weren't.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Yeah, right, you're.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Drafted late, to which you always have to keep working
for your spot, right like, and to find yourself in
this role, I have to imagine, like you're you're still
playing for your future, right Like I think you're pretty
you're satisfied with your season and how it's going. But
I'm guessing just that mentality is probably different with you
than maybe some others.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Yeah, Like, like you mentioned, I've I don't have the
doubts of all the doubts from coaches, from teammates, thinking
I wouldn't be the guy to go to the lead,
and I kind of more so just switched over a
new leaf into my life and more so instead of
trying to prove all the doubters wrong, you know, I
just kind of approve a lot of people who believe
in me. I like to prove those people right. So
I kind of just focused on the positivity of my life.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
That's a good attitude. Yeah, trying the people that don't
believe in you and just made the people.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Yeah, it's all about the people who believe me. That's
the only thing that matters right now.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Yeah, I think believed in you.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, Yeah, that's my guy.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
That's my guy. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
To be honest with you, like as a Vikings fan,
like when you signed on day one or Friedgy, I
think most of us were like, who is this guy?
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Right?
Speaker 6 (06:53):
And we weren't expecting when that signed that you'd be
like the starting cornerback, like there was more moves to come.
They clearly saw something new, believed in you, and I
think you've you've kind of proven them right As the
season's gonna loong.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, I'm just just trying to keep going and just
trying to continue to stack the days, and I just
want to go out there and make more plays. And
you know, make the state of Minnesota, you know, proud of,
and you know kind of don't look back and say, oh,
that was one of those signs where I cool, he's gone,
you know. So I want to be that guy that
just continue to keep going to be here for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Our guest here at Shields as I say, Rogers defensive
back for the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Where or toys for tents drive?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So you've played for three different defensive coordinators and right colts,
Eagles and Vikings. How did they different? We'reout getting too specific.
I mean, do they all have different approaches? Is it
all kind of the same with just tweaks? Or does
is every guy? Is every system?
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Are those three systems significantly different from one another?
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
With the Coast, I had three years two different defensive coordinators,
so that was difficult in itself, and then with my
rookie year being COVID, we were home a lot learning
throughout the through zoom, so it was a lot difficult
not actually being in the building learning hands on. But
I probably have four defensive coordinators, I've been the lead.
Everyone's different, Everyone has different mindset, different philosophies on on
why you're gonna do it this way, and a lot
(08:05):
of a lot of teams to the league have the
same terms, but it's.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
A whole different analogy.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
So you got to throw away what you learn for
the past three years and come into a new system
and have to just adapt to it.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
B Flow likes to say he is he has approached
your defense is being aggressive without being reckless.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
That the best way to describe it.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, he's one of those type of guys and just
not really he's really focused on not looking at the scoreboard,
whether we're up thirty three zero, whether we're down thirty
tho zero. He don't look at the scoreboard. He just
likes to keep applying pressure and keep going.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
I was gonna say, is that challenging mentally psychologically? A
game like last game right where you defense is balling
out because they're playing great and the offense just isn't
really giving you much to turn the ball over?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Is that hard in the middle of the game to
feel like you're you're side of the ball is constantly
like going uphill here? And how do you like, how
do you maintain that focus and competitiveness while that's occurring
when you're when you're not getting help from the other
side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I think that's the best part of football.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Would have been a competitive sports, complimentary football, like we
need the offense, they need us, we need special teams.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
So in the end we see their defense and making
those type of plays.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
So we aren't going out there like, oh, office isn't
doing this, They're not doing that. Like we're like, all right, cool,
they did this, now let's go do it. Let's do
it too. We can be better than them. So really
it turns to the defense versus defense type of game.
So that's more about mindset, just trying to be better
than them.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Defense played. I know it was twenty six points. Now
six of it was what was the pick six? That's
a really good Seattle offense. Donald's got them hommeing. They're
playing really well.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
You guys. Donald had pedestrian numbers.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
He's been talked about as possible MVP candidate this year. Yeah,
he completed maybe a little over fifty percent of us
and only a couple hundred yards. No, you know, you
had no interception, no touchdowns. What did you do against
Seattle that other teams weren't able to do?
Speaker 6 (09:50):
That?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Shout out to Flores.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
That's Flora's mindset, and just all the guys on the
field just buying in and trusting the process and knowing
we left a lot of players out there, like, yeah,
we had the sacks by Down Turner and the fumbles
and things like that, but you know, we just don't
want those who want to turn those into touchdowns as well.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
So we just got to keep stacking days and keep going.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
I apologize to not watch the All eleven, So I
don't know how many times are you lined up with
Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Did you get to see him at all?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Because he clearly is the best season of all the receivers,
and you guys shut him down pretty good.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I was, I was lining up a lot of a lot,
but it was more like running place. I think a
few times I had a different routes, but you had
Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman getting to the backfield Dallas Turner,
so Sam didn't have a chance to throw it to him.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah. Uh so now you're you're four and eight, you
have to run the table even then, you.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Know, with the NFC stack this year, yeah, I think
right now they the last playoff team and it is
still like what nine and eight and three, eight and four.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, I think everyone's over like six.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, So it's tough. So it's just like you say,
you know, taking a game at a time and such
like that. Are you looking at personal goals as well
then too, because like they're going to be asked you earlier.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
It's like you know, you're you're, you're you're playing for
career too.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
No, I think at the end of the day, it's
still a team sport. I think we all, like I say,
we all still have a job at the end of
the day. So if you go out there like, all right,
this is our record, this is their record, it doesn't
really matter another day. If you feel like that you
go out there and just don't do what you need
to do, you probably won't be here next year and
any they goes to your careers. I think you just
got to lock in and focusing on completing the team tests,
all right.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Very controversial question.
Speaker 6 (11:29):
Is cornerback the most challenging position in all of sports?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
All of sports? No?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
No, what's more challenging?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I don't know. Probably like a goalie is hard.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
Yeah, you're like goalies, you're sitting on like a little
four foot radius the whole time. You gotta run backwards
against the best athletes in the world.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Yeah, I think it's the hardest, probably the hardest position
in football, But it's sports, all the sports. I don't know,
that's kind of hard because it's a lot of sports
out there with a lot of conflicts to it that that.
As footballlayers, we probably don't think it's that hard to
do just by looking, but when you actually get out
there and try, it's definitely hard.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I got another position question. How often are.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You no flag is thrown and you know you've you've
been a past interference that happened a lot.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
That's crazy this sound.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
I only had like three flags in my career, so
I don't get a lot of flags. I really don't
want flags. I don't want to be like let the
team down things like that. But I haven't had any
this year, you know, so I'm amazing. Yeah, I'm not
the guy that like, if I get a flag, I'm like,
that wasn't me. So like you kind of know when
you do it sometimes you just.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Got to take it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
But yeah, wait, because to me, that would be the
most frustrating part of that position is because I'm sure
because they'll show the replay on you know, I'm sitting
on the college watching on TV. Pass interference is called.
They show four different angles and go, that wasn't pass interference.
You got the guys on it, you know, on the TV,
the former players going that wasn't p I don't what
they're doing that.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I gotta think it's a player. You're like, well, wait
a minute.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
When it does happen to your teammates or anybody else,
it's got to be frustrated when you know it wasn't.
Especially some of these calls changed the entire outcome of
the game.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I think that's the scary part. But the end of
the day, we kind of understand that defensive player. It's
the offensive world, and I think, like, you know, fans
watch the game for the offense. That's where the points
are getting, you know, produced that that's where the money is.
So you know they're going to try to give leeway
to the offense. So we kind of know the defensive
players that they're going to lean towards the offense.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah, who do you think is uh other thing?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Guys in your team, who do you think the best
wide out is in Pro football.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
I go.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Poka Nicola or Jackson. Yeah, Jackson over Seattle. His numbers
are showing it. But like I say, other than guys
on our team, you know, I still think Jets and
the A J. Browns are those type of guys. But
as of now, like I like Pooka and Devonte Adams.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
What's good about Puka because you know, obviously he was
slept on in the draft.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
He can go very high.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
I played it a few times, very physical. He's actually
bigger than people think, and he's just strong, and he
could sell any route like he's blocking, and he has
he has a quarterback over there who trusts him to
have a great you know, collective over there as an
oc everything all over there. So I think basically pook
this whole entire scheme. Like he's just he's a pretty
good in scheme.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Here's the guy I want to ask you about. I
saw an interesting statistic here and I saved it. Let
me grab it here real quick, ten of me you
tap dance for a find this.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Well, he waits for that question. I was just gonna
ask you.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
When you were signed, part of your skill set that
we thought was, hey, this guy's can return puns return
kicks for us, and you're really even doing that, which
is a compliment to you because you're so valuable as
a cornerback they don't want to put in that position.
But do you miss out being a part of the
return game. You still occasionally say hey, let me let
me get out there.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Yeah, I definitely, I definitely do miss it. I end
up watching it a lot when I see a Miles
Price go back there. But you know, just watching the
young guy, I was in his shoes before being that rookie.
You know, that was like your job and a roll
on the team. But it's definitely something I do missed.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
So.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I was born in Detroit, so I'm a Lions fan,
also Vikings fan because I lived most of my life here,
but so I follow the lines pretty closely. I saw
this this piece talk about wide receivers. This I found
this this morning on a CBS sports piece. It says,
according to CBS Sports Research, the Lions ranked number one
in yards per play with Saint Brown on the field
since he began his NFL career in twenty twenty one,
(15:13):
and their number twenty five when he's not on the field.
To me, that's an astonishing statistic. I'll read that against us,
they ranked number one in yards per play when he's
on the field. Since he started his career in twenty
twenty one, he's number twenty and their number twenty five.
With him off the field, de Troy Delson ranks number
two in offensive efficiency. Was Saint Brown on the field
(15:33):
number sixteen When he's on the sideline. His five hundred
and five receptions ranked second all time in the player's
first five seasons. So, you know, we talk about the Mosses,
we talk about you know, you know, Jets and Redley, so,
but Saint Brown seems to have quite the impact.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
You played against him.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
How good is he?
Speaker 4 (15:54):
He's similar to the Puka conversation, Like in that scheme,
he's going to get the ball, Like we knew going
to the game, they're going to you know, he's averaging
probably ten targets a game. Those just those games that
you gotta go into the game. No, he's gonna they're
going to find a way to give him the ball.
Like you said, the stats proven to themself. So I
think it's like that with you pay him thirty plus
million dollars, with you throwing the ball as well.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
So yeah, good luck the rest of the season.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, and thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Thank you, nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Let's here at for Isaiah Rodgers, defensive back for the
Minnesota Vikings. They play Washington this week, and let's take
a break.
Speaker 5 (16:27):
We'll come back with more.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
We're brought
Delighted to be joined by Biking's defensive back Isaiah Rodgers. Isaiah,
thanks for coming back.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We do appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Thank you for having me appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yeah, now, thank you, big round of applause.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
The first thing we have to establish right away is
I'm not your normal media guy. That's you know, kind
of out of shape. Slow, doesn't understand the game. I
played football both sides of the ball. I was a
fierce pass rushing rocket Gibraltar, run stopping defensive lineman and
a precise route running sure him a pass catching tight end.
So I played the game, so I understand twenty two wide.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Nos, you sound like an athlete, man, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I was, of course.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
That was back when I was in fourth, fifth, and
sixth grade. It was a long time ago. With that,
I played football. How long you've been playing football since?
What you're how old? Twenty seven?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Yeah, twenty seven. I've been playing since I was three?
Three three yeah, Florida. You can start playing flag?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
What three?
Speaker 5 (00:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Soccer everything at three years?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Why are you just crawling after each other or are
you actually running?
Speaker 4 (00:51):
They just let us run whichever way and just clap
for us and had us all feeling like we were
the best on the field.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So sort of like heard soccer they called it. You know,
when you first start soccer, they just all follow the ball.
There's thirty kids.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Free for all out there. You didn't even know who
was on teams. They just wear all on T shirts
most of the time.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Were you elite at three? Are a little bit of
a late bloomer.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm still blooming, still blooming. Yeah I was. I was bad.
I was horrible.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Did you play other sports too?
Speaker 4 (01:18):
I was more of a baseball player growing up in track,
but football was more like a family sport, so I
stuck to that.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
Yeah, well I was worked out for you, I mean
baseball center field.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
No, I played picture in short stuff. Okay, I haven't.
I never played outfield, which is crazy.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
But you can run.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
Yeah, back then I couldn't. Oh okay, yeah. I didn't
get fast until like college or what happened.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I don't know. I was just slow. So I wasn't
very bloom.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I wasn't very good at BASB. But I used to
play right field. Foul territory.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
That's really going on the field, So it's a whole
nother thing in itself.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
You mass right, Yeah, yeah, how'd you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
End up in U Mass?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Was scholarship offer and you offer or did you just
want to go there?
Speaker 5 (01:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
It was an offer. I just wanted to get away
from Florida. I wanted to spare. It's a different, like
a weather, everything's different. And you mastered one of those
teams that, like, one of those schools that stood out
for me.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So I just wanted to just get away.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
And go to you go to college or play ball.
Were you pretty convinced I may get drafted in the NFL?
Or were you?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I don't know, who knows whatever?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Nah?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Not my freshman year, I was.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
I left college at one hundred and thirty five pounds,
so I had no chance. Yeah, But I think my
sophomore year when I started like really locking in and
understanding I had a chance after making a few plays
against some of the top schools and then I was like,
all right, cool, let me lock in.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, and then got drafted by the culture coach.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, sixth round twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Did they were there other teams? I mean, how does
that any process even work? Did they go to the combine?
Were you at the combine? Did they just watch your
game and car and say, hey, we kind of like
you want to shit and chat with you and find
out what you're like and go through a few drills.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
My year was different because it was COVID, so we
had everything on Zoom, so I had to sit up
in my living room and backpedal and drills and stuff
for coaches on zoom, study play through zoom. So I
never got to travel to the facilities how the kids
are now or back then.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
But it was a lot different.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
But throughout the draft process, it's weird because teams call
you throughout second round, third round, and you think you're
getting drafted, but they're just calling the check in on you,
seeing how you are being ready for if you become undrafted,
they try to come grab you.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
So it's just a lot of phone calls calling.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So as it was.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Getting fourth round, fifth round, getting into the sit, were
you thinking, man, maybe it ain't gonna happen for me.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Well, were you pretty convinced at that point somebody would
grab you?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
I knew I was going to get in somewhere. I
didn't think I was going to get drafted. Once like
the fourth and fifth went by, I was like, all right, cool,
So I kind of just stopped watching it, but my
family was still there.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Everybody's still watching it.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
And then I got a call, uh that I thought
was the call, but that was fourth round, but it
was just a check in. And at that point I
kind of just like, I don't really care anymore if
like just hurry up and get it over right, right?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Colts, Eagles and Vikings kind of like radio town to town,
up and down the dial. What happens in the you know,
like the Colts, you played there? How to jet up
with the Eagles?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
You know? Yeah, I was, I was there three years,
made a stupid young guy decision. I was gambling helping
out a lot of people back then. Long story, but
got suspended for a year. It took a year off
and well the Eagles signed me like two months later.
So I was signed with the Eagles while I was suspended,
and they just basically just kept me like uplifted or
(04:22):
whateverever you want to put it. So I just kind
of just stayed working out, stayed on the NFL type schedule,
came back with them last year, and then went into
free agency and you know ended up here.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You played for him last year?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah, I played for him last year.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Where's your ring.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
It's a little stash stashed up, but I haven't I
haven't looked at it.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
In a while.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah, but that's cool because you know a lot of guys,
you know, obviously played for a career for money and
for a ring, and to get one that early in
your career is kind of nice to get that out
of the way.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, I got it out the way. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, I feel like if I'm a home here in Minnesota,
I actually do.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I like being in different scene reason in Florida.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Been from Florida to the hot climbing and there's a
lot of things to do. I think Minnesota is perfect
for me and for my family, and it's like really
like nothing too much to do with the weather and everything.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So I actually love it here big.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
This season just hasn't gone the way the teams wanted
offensive even defensively, you couldn't stop the runn early. Defense
playing better now, having trouble to the quarterbacks if you're
not scoring any points, could shut out.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Difficult to go to the complex every day with a
positive attitude or not.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Now, I won't say it's difficult.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I think end of the day, win, lose, draw, whatever,
we all still have a job to do, Like, you
gotta look you gotta look past those games. Those games
do hurt, especially when we just had this weekend. But
you understand, like once you get on the plane and
you get back home, you got to reset, You go
back to your families, reset and get ready to come
in and watch it next week. So we just got
to focus on on the Commanders right now.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
I'm guessing for you specifically too, Right, just from listening
to you, it sounds like there's always been a little
bit of uncertainty in your future, right Like you're small
out of high school, you weren't.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Yeah, right, you're.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Drafted late, to which you always have to keep working
for your spot, right like, and to find yourself in
this role, I have to imagine, like you're you're still
playing for your future, right Like I think you're pretty
you're satisfied with your season and how it's going. But
I'm guessing just that mentality is probably different with you
than maybe some others.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Yeah, Like, like you mentioned, I've I don't have the
doubts of all the doubts from coaches, from teammates, thinking
I wouldn't be the guy to go to the lead,
and I kind of more so just switched over a
new leaf into my life and more so instead of
trying to prove all the doubters wrong, you know, I
just kind of approve a lot of people who believe
in me. I like to prove those people right. So
I kind of just focused on the positivity of my life.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
That's a good attitude. Yeah, trying the people that don't
believe in you and just made the people.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Yeah, it's all about the people who believe me. That's
the only thing that matters right now.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Yeah, I think believed in you.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, Yeah, that's my guy.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
That's my guy. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
To be honest with you, like as a Vikings fan,
like when you signed on day one or Friedgy, I
think most of us were like, who is this guy?
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Right?
Speaker 6 (06:53):
And we weren't expecting when that signed that you'd be
like the starting cornerback, like there was more moves to come.
They clearly saw something new, believed in you, and I
think you've you've kind of proven them right As the
season's gonna loong.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, I'm just just trying to keep going and just
trying to continue to stack the days, and I just
want to go out there and make more plays. And
you know, make the state of Minnesota, you know, proud of,
and you know kind of don't look back and say, oh,
that was one of those signs where I cool, he's gone,
you know. So I want to be that guy that
just continue to keep going to be here for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Our guest here at Shields as I say, Rogers defensive
back for the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Where or toys for tents drive?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
So you've played for three different defensive coordinators and right colts,
Eagles and Vikings. How did they different? We'reout getting too specific.
I mean, do they all have different approaches? Is it
all kind of the same with just tweaks? Or does
is every guy? Is every system?
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Are those three systems significantly different from one another?
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
With the Coast, I had three years two different defensive coordinators,
so that was difficult in itself, and then with my
rookie year being COVID, we were home a lot learning
throughout the through zoom, so it was a lot difficult
not actually being in the building learning hands on. But
I probably have four defensive coordinators, I've been the lead.
Everyone's different, Everyone has different mindset, different philosophies on on
why you're gonna do it this way, and a lot
(08:05):
of a lot of teams to the league have the
same terms, but it's.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
A whole different analogy.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
So you got to throw away what you learn for
the past three years and come into a new system
and have to just adapt to it.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
B Flow likes to say he is he has approached
your defense is being aggressive without being reckless.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
That the best way to describe it.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, he's one of those type of guys and just
not really he's really focused on not looking at the scoreboard,
whether we're up thirty three zero, whether we're down thirty
tho zero. He don't look at the scoreboard. He just
likes to keep applying pressure and keep going.
Speaker 6 (08:35):
I was gonna say, is that challenging mentally psychologically? A
game like last game right where you defense is balling
out because they're playing great and the offense just isn't
really giving you much to turn the ball over?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Is that hard in the middle of the game to
feel like you're you're side of the ball is constantly
like going uphill here? And how do you like, how
do you maintain that focus and competitiveness while that's occurring
when you're when you're not getting help from the other
side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
I think that's the best part of football.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Would have been a competitive sports, complimentary football, like we
need the offense, they need us, we need special teams.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
So in the end we see their defense and making
those type of plays.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
So we aren't going out there like, oh, office isn't
doing this, They're not doing that. Like we're like, all right, cool,
they did this, now let's go do it. Let's do
it too. We can be better than them. So really
it turns to the defense versus defense type of game.
So that's more about mindset, just trying to be better
than them.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Defense played. I know it was twenty six points. Now
six of it was what was the pick six? That's
a really good Seattle offense. Donald's got them hommeing. They're
playing really well.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
You guys. Donald had pedestrian numbers.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
He's been talked about as possible MVP candidate this year. Yeah,
he completed maybe a little over fifty percent of us
and only a couple hundred yards. No, you know, you
had no interception, no touchdowns. What did you do against
Seattle that other teams weren't able to do?
Speaker 6 (09:50):
That?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Shout out to Flores.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
That's Flora's mindset, and just all the guys on the
field just buying in and trusting the process and knowing
we left a lot of players out there, like, yeah,
we had the sacks by Down Turner and the fumbles
and things like that, but you know, we just don't
want those who want to turn those into touchdowns as well.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
So we just got to keep stacking days and keep going.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
I apologize to not watch the All eleven, So I
don't know how many times are you lined up with
Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Did you get to see him at all?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Because he clearly is the best season of all the receivers,
and you guys shut him down pretty good.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
I was, I was lining up a lot of a lot,
but it was more like running place. I think a
few times I had a different routes, but you had
Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman getting to the backfield Dallas Turner,
so Sam didn't have a chance to throw it to him.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah. Uh so now you're you're four and eight, you
have to run the table even then, you.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Know, with the NFC stack this year, yeah, I think
right now they the last playoff team and it is
still like what nine and eight and three, eight and four.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, I think everyone's over like six.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, So it's tough. So it's just like you say,
you know, taking a game at a time and such
like that. Are you looking at personal goals as well
then too, because like they're going to be asked you earlier.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
It's like you know, you're you're, you're you're playing for
career too.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
No, I think at the end of the day, it's
still a team sport. I think we all, like I say,
we all still have a job at the end of
the day. So if you go out there like, all right,
this is our record, this is their record, it doesn't
really matter another day. If you feel like that you
go out there and just don't do what you need
to do, you probably won't be here next year and
any they goes to your careers. I think you just
got to lock in and focusing on completing the team tests,
all right.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Very controversial question.
Speaker 6 (11:29):
Is cornerback the most challenging position in all of sports?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
All of sports? No?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
No, what's more challenging?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I don't know. Probably like a goalie is hard.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
Yeah, you're like goalies, you're sitting on like a little
four foot radius the whole time. You gotta run backwards
against the best athletes in the world.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Yeah, I think it's the hardest, probably the hardest position
in football, But it's sports, all the sports. I don't know,
that's kind of hard because it's a lot of sports
out there with a lot of conflicts to it that that.
As footballlayers, we probably don't think it's that hard to
do just by looking, but when you actually get out
there and try, it's definitely hard.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
All right.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I got another position question. How often are.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You no flag is thrown and you know you've you've
been a past interference that happened a lot.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
That's crazy this sound.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
I only had like three flags in my career, so
I don't get a lot of flags. I really don't
want flags. I don't want to be like let the
team down things like that. But I haven't had any
this year, you know, so I'm amazing. Yeah, I'm not
the guy that like, if I get a flag, I'm like,
that wasn't me. So like you kind of know when
you do it sometimes you just.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Got to take it.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
But yeah, wait, because to me, that would be the
most frustrating part of that position is because I'm sure
because they'll show the replay on you know, I'm sitting
on the college watching on TV. Pass interference is called.
They show four different angles and go, that wasn't pass interference.
You got the guys on it, you know, on the TV,
the former players going that wasn't p I don't what
they're doing that.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I gotta think it's a player. You're like, well, wait
a minute.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
When it does happen to your teammates or anybody else,
it's got to be frustrated when you know it wasn't.
Especially some of these calls changed the entire outcome of
the game.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I think that's the scary part. But the end of
the day, we kind of understand that defensive player. It's
the offensive world, and I think, like, you know, fans
watch the game for the offense. That's where the points
are getting, you know, produced that that's where the money is.
So you know they're going to try to give leeway
to the offense. So we kind of know the defensive
players that they're going to lean towards the offense.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah, who do you think is uh other thing?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Guys in your team, who do you think the best
wide out is in Pro football.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
I go.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Poka Nicola or Jackson. Yeah, Jackson over Seattle. His numbers
are showing it. But like I say, other than guys
on our team, you know, I still think Jets and
the A J. Browns are those type of guys. But
as of now, like I like Pooka and Devonte Adams.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
What's good about Puka because you know, obviously he was
slept on in the draft.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
He can go very high.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
I played it a few times, very physical. He's actually
bigger than people think, and he's just strong, and he
could sell any route like he's blocking, and he has
he has a quarterback over there who trusts him to
have a great you know, collective over there as an
oc everything all over there. So I think basically pook
this whole entire scheme. Like he's just he's a pretty
good in scheme.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Here's the guy I want to ask you about. I
saw an interesting statistic here and I saved it. Let
me grab it here real quick, ten of me you
tap dance for a find this.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
Well, he waits for that question. I was just gonna
ask you.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
When you were signed, part of your skill set that
we thought was, hey, this guy's can return puns return
kicks for us, and you're really even doing that, which
is a compliment to you because you're so valuable as
a cornerback they don't want to put in that position.
But do you miss out being a part of the
return game. You still occasionally say hey, let me let
me get out there.
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Yeah, I definitely, I definitely do miss it. I end
up watching it a lot when I see a Miles
Price go back there. But you know, just watching the
young guy, I was in his shoes before being that rookie.
You know, that was like your job and a roll
on the team. But it's definitely something I do missed.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
So.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I was born in Detroit, so I'm a Lions fan,
also Vikings fan because I lived most of my life here,
but so I follow the lines pretty closely. I saw
this this piece talk about wide receivers. This I found
this this morning on a CBS sports piece. It says,
according to CBS Sports Research, the Lions ranked number one
in yards per play with Saint Brown on the field
since he began his NFL career in twenty twenty one,
(15:13):
and their number twenty five when he's not on the field.
To me, that's an astonishing statistic. I'll read that against us,
they ranked number one in yards per play when he's
on the field. Since he started his career in twenty
twenty one, he's number twenty and their number twenty five.
With him off the field, de Troy Delson ranks number
two in offensive efficiency. Was Saint Brown on the field
(15:33):
number sixteen When he's on the sideline. His five hundred
and five receptions ranked second all time in the player's
first five seasons. So, you know, we talk about the Mosses,
we talk about you know, you know, Jets and Redley, so,
but Saint Brown seems to have quite the impact.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
You played against him.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
How good is he?
Speaker 4 (15:54):
He's similar to the Puka conversation, Like in that scheme,
he's going to get the ball, Like we knew going
to the game, they're going to you know, he's averaging
probably ten targets a game. Those just those games that
you gotta go into the game. No, he's gonna they're
going to find a way to give him the ball.
Like you said, the stats proven to themself. So I
think it's like that with you pay him thirty plus
million dollars, with you throwing the ball as well.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
So yeah, good luck the rest of the season.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, and thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Thank you, nice to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Let's here at for Isaiah Rodgers, defensive back for the
Minnesota Vikings. They play Washington this week, and let's take
a break.
Speaker 5 (16:27):
We'll come back with more.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
We're brought
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