NY Giants S Xavier McKinney Talks Eagles, Daboll, Super Bowl & Career Threatening Injury

FOLLOW THE PIVOT PODCAST: MERCH | https://pivotpodcast.com YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/thepivotpodcast INSTAGRAM | https://instagram.com/thepivot TWITTER | https://twitter.com/thepivot TIKTOK | https://tiktok.com/@thepivot FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/thepivotpodcast FOLLOW HAPPY DAD: https://www.instagram.com/happydad FIND HAPPY DAD: https://www.happydad.com/find After making an unexpected run in the post season, NY Giants safety and captain Xavier McKinney talks this past year, Head Coach Daboll’s success, the Eagles as the team to beat, his accident that threatened his career and how it changed his life. The former Alabama stand out is used to the spot light but playing in the New York market has proved to be a bigger opportunity than he imagined and grateful for his place as the Giants defensive captain and for the leadership he comes to work with everyday. Picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, McKinney talks about how playing against the divisional rival has motivated the Giants to elevate their play and continue to be a NFC contender. He talks about the offensive leadership and play by QB Daniel Jones and star running back Saquon Barkley as difference makers in the team output this season and how imperative it is to get them both signed under contract before next year. Crediting new head coach Brian Daboll for the change in team chemistry and attitude, Xavier believes his coach is the only choice for coach of the year because his commitment to winning and approach in leadership skills. During his bye week, Xavier suffered an ATV accident crushing his left hand and leaving him unable to play for seven weeks during the season. Xavier shares how humbling the incident was and how taking full responsibility for the mishap and the effect it had on his teammates. Returning in time for the last regular season games and two crucial play off wins, McKinney shared his gratefulness in getting back on the field and how it changed his perception. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY)1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA), 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min. $5 pre-game moneyline bet. Bet must win. $150 issued as six (6) $25 free bets. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms. Ends 2/12/23 at 11:59PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 0:30Fred Taylor?

  What's up, my boy? What's up, Channing? Good morning. Good to see you, brother. All is good? This guy, this boy got on a turtleneck today. Fred, you see? Fred, you see? Fred, you seem to care more about my turtleneck than Chan. Well, I'm sitting, Charlie. No, no, I love it, RC.

• 1:12Ryan Clark?

  Thanks, man. Shoot, uh, welcome to the pivot. Xavier McKinney, starting safety, New York Giants, Alabama Crimson Tide. I won't hold that against you. I got enough friends from the school now, man. I just start to like y'all.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  Hey, man, you should, bro.

• 1:27Ryan Clark?

  I figured.

• 1:28Speaker 03

  Good that you do.

• 1:29Ryan Clark?

  And we gonna lose to somebody. Might as well lose to them. You know what I mean? Freddie T., Channing, I'm RC. To our partners, Happy Dad, we appreciate you. Also to DraftKings, thank you for your sponsorship. All the people that supported us. Obviously, we just dropped our one-year show on Tuesday. Thank you, guys. We want to just keep doing the same thing for you with 2023. We gonna have bigger, better shows. We gonna still stay the same. Uh, let's take it back, though. You know, he spoke about Roswell. Growing up in Marietta, dressing as yourself, a football player for Halloween's. Did you always have dreams of being in this position now?

• 2:06Speaker 03

  Yeah, I did. I think ever since, you know, I was five, uh, that's, you know, that's when I started playing. You know, I always wanted to. Get to this level. So it's always been, you know, it was always a dream of mine. It was a lot, I would say it was a lot different though when I actually got here because I didn't realize the business part of it, you know what I'm saying? So, uh, but obviously as a kid, you don't really think about none of that. You just think about the, you know, the football aspect of it, but, uh, you know, it was always, like I said, it was always a dream of mine ever since, you know, I was real little, ever since I could really play football, so.

• 2:40Channing Crowder?

  I was telling a little bit before, I went to Roswell High School as well.

• 2:43Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 2:43Channing Crowder?

  It's crazy when I looked and saw it like, damn, this dude's a hornet.

• 2:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 2:46Channing Crowder?

  Yeah. And I ended up transferring because they varsity blues me.

• 2:50Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 2:51Channing Crowder?

  Like on the movie with the forty carries, two hundred fifty yards, one touchdown. The white boy had thirty yards, four touchdowns. Every time he got in the red zone, they give it to the white boy. After that game, my mom said, you leaving. So I was like, okay. So I went to go into North Springs, but then you go to Roswell, you ball, and it's an athletic powerhouse. Now, it's a big, beautiful school. I don't know if that, I don't know if they still varsity blues them up, but.

• 3:12Speaker 03

  So like, so it's crazy because it was like, so my class, we really changed like the culture of, uh, the school, which it didn't go well for, you know what I'm saying, a lot of, uh, you know, the people like the A D and a lot of people that was there. My class, when we left, it was kind of like an end of an era for real. Um, everybody pretty much, uh, either, you know what I'm saying, quit their jobs or, or left the school, but we had, it was a lot of black kids, you know what I'm saying, in my, in my class. And we made what we had football, the, the athletics wise, we made that, um, and we, and we, uh, kind of put the school on the map as far as, uh, we just had a lot of, a lot of, uh, highly recruited guys, you know what I'm saying, to kind of like what you saying, it, it wasn't,

• 3:57Speaker 03

  you know what I'm saying, because it's a white area. They ain't really like it too, too much, but we did what we had to do and, uh, you know what I'm saying? We, we ain't, we ain't really have none of that at the time when we was there, uh, because it was too many of us. They couldn't really, they couldn't do that. Um, and we was winning, um, and you know what I'm saying, we was getting that recognition, uh, you know what I'm saying, as far as the recruitment stuff goes. So it was a little different when I was there.

• 4:20Channing Crowder?

  They did you that because you was light skinned? And all the girls, you know, they looking at me. All the white boys hot because they looking at little red, red little red boy. You from around there, because they have something in Atlanta called the M to M program. Minority to majority. So that story you're telling happens a lot where they start busting these black dudes, these black ball players, out of the hood into these suburban areas. And athletically, the team comes up, but the dynamic of the school starts changing. Because it's different cultures there. And that's what seemed like what happened.

• 4:53Speaker 03

  That was exactly what happened, man. After a while, you know what I'm saying, they started to get kind of irritated with it. So they, you know what I'm saying, was, you know, with certain people, they was following them, trying to make sure that they live in the school district. Trying to see where they were actually living at. And, you know what I'm saying, trying to get them removed and kicked out from the school, whatever. But we had a little bit of that. So, yeah, it was different though.

• 5:14Fred Taylor?

  Talking about the recruiting process as well, you're a four star.

• 5:17Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 5:18Fred Taylor?

  You've played on tremendous programs, high school, Alabama. I know the Georgia fans probably were like, how do you get out of Georgia? But that's probably a different story. Played at a great school in Alabama, and now you're on the highest level, playing for the New York Giants. Does that star rating even matter? And were you upset that you were only a four star? Well, not that you were only a four star, but that you were a four star and not a five star?

• 5:41Speaker 03

  At the time, I was. But, you know what I'm saying, that was, like, I always think of that, like, I was younger. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, at that time, I just wanted that recognition. And that recognition was getting the stars, you know what I'm saying, getting, getting that pub out. And I ain't have a lot, I ain't have a whole bunch of offers. I had like 13 offers, but they were all the top schools. I didn't go to a lot of camps. I went to like two camps. My first camp was a Clemson camp, and my second was a Bama camp. I cared a lot, a lot more about it when I was younger, but now that I'm here, like, none of that mean anything. You know what I'm saying? You see.

• 6:23Speaker 03

  They always bring it up, like you see the top guys now that had no stars in high school. But so none of that, the star stuff, that that don't mean nothing. Obviously, you care about it when, you know what I'm saying, when you're in high school and all that stuff. But once you get past that level, all that stuff kind of erases and you just gotta, you just gotta ball. Because I've seen five stars be terrible. I've seen the no stars be, you know what I'm saying, superstars. So like I said, it kind of, it all depends on how you work. It all depends on how you play, and that's what, that's what matters at the end of it.

• 6:55Ryan Clark?

  You know, he mentioned Alabama, being there, being around the greatest coach in college football, Nick Saban. He coached me at LSU my last two years. Also, having an opportunity to meet Kobe Bryant. And if you've ever watched this show, I'd never miss an opportunity to talk about Kobe or to ask people their experiences with him. For you to be coached by someone like Saban, I even read somewhere that you said you wanted to emulate that greatness. You wanted to make sure that you didn't let him down, that you didn't upset him. And then also having an opportunity to ask Kobe Bryant questions about the way that he prepared. How has being around greats such as Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant inspired you to work the way that you do?

• 7:39Speaker 03

  Man, it's inspired me on every level of just, I know, especially with Coach Saban. You know what I'm saying, he always wanted to be perfect. You know, and you knew that he was about his business no matter what. And, you know, as I got older, you know, I started to realize, I think it was really after my freshman year. You know what I'm saying, I really, you know, understood what, what he wanted to do. I understood how he, you know what I'm saying, how he worked and how he wanted to perfect his craft. So for me, you know what I'm saying, I saw the same thing and I, and I liked that. And I was always like a hardworking dude and I always wanted to be, you know what I'm saying, try to be perfect and try to strive to get there. So for me.

• 8:21Speaker 03

  You know, I saw that, you know, I saw that with Kobe. I saw that with Saban. And I wanted to be able to do the same thing because I wanted to get to the level that they were at. So that's always, you know, something that's pushed me. You know, I always say that, you know, I'm a self motivated person. So I want to be as great as I can be. I want to be the best. And I know in order to do that, you know, I gotta, you know, I gotta try to be better than, you know, I'm saying, everybody else that's in the room. And, and to do that for, to my standard, you know what I'm saying, I'm trying to reach that perfect level. So that's just how I see it. And, uh, you know, I'm saying, that's always kind of motivated, motivated me since, since I've been playing.

• 9:03Channing Crowder?

  I also played for Saban. He drafted me. When he went to Miami, drafted me to the Dolphins. Did, did you have to adjust to getting cussed the hell out?

• 9:11Speaker 03

  Yeah, I did, for sure.

• 9:14Channing Crowder?

  How long did it take you to deal with how Saban coached you?

• 9:17Speaker 03

  So my freshman year, like I got cussed out every day and it was the same play. Like, I, like, I kid you not, I messed up on the same play every time. So he would just be on my ass. He, he would cuss me out the same thing every day. And, um, I think it was, it was one game, I think we played, uh, Ole Miss. And I got in like real late, missed a tackle. You know what I'm saying, came over to the sideline and he cussed me out. He's saying this, he's saying that. And I felt like shit, like I feel like the worst damn football. I thought I wasn't gonna make it. I ain't gonna lie, like, cause when he, what he said, it was just like, damn, like, am I, do I, am I terrible? But then I kind of, you know, I had to take a step back and I had to realize, all right, like, I know what I need to do to improve.

• 10:00Speaker 03

  And, you know, I'm saying, I, I felt that in every practice that, that he cussed me out. I understood that he was cussing me out because he cared, because he knew that I had something in me. You know what I'm saying, that he was trying to get pushed out of me. So, uh, once I realized that, I kind of got used to it. I started to work a lot harder. I started to study a lot more. I was more locked in and I knew what I had to do because I knew that, you know what I'm saying, when I could gain his trust and when I could earn that, I knew, you know what I'm saying, I'll be, I'll be A-OK.

• 10:30Channing Crowder?

  And it's funny, cause now you at this level, you haven't been in the league for a while, team captain and all. Think about Saban as a NFL head coach with the OGs already on the team. Coming in with the dudes already got a hundred million dollars. He was getting his ass cussed out in Miami.

• 10:45Speaker 03

  I already know.

• 10:46Channing Crowder?

  Cause he 38 years old, them 37 year old D tackles. What are you doing here? Who are you talking to? So that was a thing, the transition part of it though, I had to get used to. I would get cussed out, Ron's looking all, but that Saban cussing is different. But didn't he make you a better football player? Cause that's the part I try to tell everybody about.

• 11:05Speaker 03

  A lot better. Like I said, he just made me just think about the game a lot differently. And he just like, he just, he pushed it out of like, like I said, I already, anybody that knows me like, I work hard, like, and that's just is what it is. But he brought something out of me, like a different type of focus, just how I prepared and got ready. He brought that out of me, you know what I'm saying? He definitely, like, he changed, you know what I'm saying? How I thought about a lot of different things, how I played, like I said, how I prepare. So, and he, you know, he said, he tends to do that with, you know what I'm saying? A lot of, a lot of people that are coached under him. So a lot of people would say the same thing.

• 11:45Fred Taylor?

  Speaking of standards, you talk about Saban, you talk about Bama. Your freshman year, your current head coach, Coach DeWol, was the offensive coordinator at Bama. Did you guys have a relationship then? And how's your relationship now?

• 11:59Speaker 03

  We didn't really have like that close of a relationship. I think in college, I dealt with more just, you know what I'm saying? My side of the ball. Obviously we saw the offensive coaches and stuff like that, but there wasn't as much of a relationship, you know what I'm saying, as it is now in the league. Cause in the league, I feel like, you know what I'm saying? For me at least, I got a relationship with all my coaches, no matter what side of the ball it is. But college, it was a, it was a lot different, especially being at Bama. At that time, I wasn't even worried about, you know what I'm saying? The offensive coaches, I wasn't even trying to build no relationship with them. I was trying to do it with my DC and my position coach, and then obviously Saban. So we didn't really have that, that close of a relationship. But when we first came in the building.

• 12:42Speaker 03

  It was like, obviously, we've been on the same team with each other, but, you know what I'm saying? It's like our relationship, like, we've been knowing each other for five years.

• 12:50Fred Taylor?

  The small relationship in college, the walk-bys, whatever, the relationship you have now, did it make it easier for you to pick up the phone after your accident? And then, kind of get into that? I know I would be scared as hell to call my head coach after I'm on a bye week, I have an accident, you know, and then the contract stuff, the language that's in there that says, uh, uh, non-related football injuries, all that different stuff. So, run that back, let us know how, you know, that, what that experience was like.

• 13:18Speaker 03

  Obviously, when the situation first happened, uh, I wasn't even thinking about none of that. I was just happy that it wasn't anything worse. And I think it was something that was, obviously, it was something that was traumatizing for me, because I'd never have been in no situation like that. Uh, it was only my second time out the country, um, so for that to have happened, it was kind of, you know what I'm saying, it was crazy. But, it did make it a lot easier to call Dave's and, you know what I'm saying, let him know the situation. Um, because I knew that, you know, obviously, we had built that relationship with each other. And, uh, you know what I'm saying, we was both, uh, transparent with each other. Uh, you know what I'm saying, whatever he wanted to tell me, he told, he could tell me,

• 14:00Speaker 03

  whatever I wanted to tell him, I could tell him without it, you know what I'm saying, being any type of problems. So, it did make it a lot easier to, you know what I'm saying, to call him, call Mr. Mara, to call, you know what I'm saying, Wink, uh, just all the, all my coaches, really. Uh, we had, we all had a pretty good relationship with each other, so, um, it was easy to call and, and kind of tell them situation. It didn't make it, uh, it was still hard to kind of explain it to them, obviously. Um, but as far as just picking up the phone and, and letting them know and telling them, you know what I'm saying, the truth of what happened, that part of it was easy. Uh, as far as the, you know what I'm saying, that incident goes, it sucked because of the timing of it. Also, because of how well things were going for me, as far as just becoming the leader, um, becoming that, you know what I'm saying, being named that captain.

• 14:45Speaker 03

  Uh, you know what I'm saying, I had to think about, you know what I'm saying, all these things. And, uh, you know what I'm saying, when the situation first went down, I'm like, damn, like, how I'm explaining this to my teammates, how I'm explaining this to my coaches? So that part of it was, was difficult for me. Uh, but I did realize that... You know, they they were still gonna need me. I was still the captain. I was still a leader. Um, so I couldn't really sit and dwell on being down and feeling bad about it like. At that point like afterwards, it was like, it is what it is. I gotta figure out ways where I could learn from this and I could, you know what I'm saying? Become a better leader, be- become a better captain. Um, and I went, really went from there. Uh, it wasn't the easiest thing, you know what I'm saying?

• 15:28Speaker 03

  I had my days where I was like in the shithole, like it was just bad, but uh, you know what I'm saying? I also have my days where I'm like, yeah, like we gotta go. Like we, I ain't got time to uh, sit here and feel bad. Like the season's still gonna go on. We still gotta win games. We still got, you know what I'm saying? Uh, uh, an expectation level that, you know what I'm saying? We need to, a standard that we need to play to. We still, you know what I'm saying? Trying to get, uh, reach the ultimate goal, which is, you know what I'm saying? The championship. So I, I understood all of that. And once I, you know what I'm saying? Set all the feelings and shit aside, uh, it was easy for me to pick up and just, you know what I'm saying? Keep going, uh, rehab my hand and do all the other stuff they needed me to do.

• 16:09Ryan Clark?

  I became the newest member, well kinda, of the pivot about a year ago. And a year ago, if I would have had ziprecruiter.com, maybe I could have put a team together that is as good as Fred and Channing already were. And then they added me. Ziprecruiter.com is the place to find anyone you're looking for, for that special business or personal match. Dietitian, trainer, nurse, they're all there. And listen, four of the five businesses that go to ziprecruiter.com find a perfect match within 24 hours. And so that's ziprecruiter.com/draftkings. And no matter where you are, they are the place to be. And we are no better than the people we work with.

• 16:52Ryan Clark?

  Whether that was Shaquille O'Neal, whether it was Kevin Hart or Mike Tomlin. It's the people that surround you that make you exactly who you are. So go to ziprecruiter.com for all of your business needs and you will find your perfect match. Again, that's ziprecruiter.com/draftkings.

• 17:11Channing Crowder?

  I need to know the story, story. When you, when the ATV happened and then the world knew what happened, it came out. My first thought, he was trying to show out for a woman. That was my first thought. I need the story. Everybody, you did it this game, Freddie, you did. The situation.

• 17:26Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 17:26Channing Crowder?

  The thing that happened. My, my incident.

• 17:29Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 17:30Channing Crowder?

  I need to know the story of how you shattered your damn hand in the mashed potatoes.

• 17:34Fred Taylor?

  And you're gonna look out for all the young boys who watching this.

• 17:37Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, no, for sure.

• 17:37Fred Taylor?

  Because people go out of the country and do wild shit, man. We don't need, like, to read about no tragic incident. It could have been you.

• 17:44Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, for sure.

• 17:45Fred Taylor?

  You know what I'm saying? Thank God it's not. So kind of lead us through this.

• 17:47Channing Crowder?

  Land next to the street like Duval. Duval was.

• 17:50Fred Taylor?

  That's right. You got that Carl Weller's hand like on Happy Gilmore.

• 17:57Speaker 03

  So it's crazy. So, yeah, I was with a girl. But, you know what I'm saying, everything was going perfectly fine. That morning, I actually got up and I worked out at the resort. Like, so usually in my bye week, I don't do nothing. Like, I'm chilling, like, I don't do anything. So I call my, uh, my, uh, my strength coach, Fitz. And I'm like, hey, you could send me over to, to workout. Like, I'm about to do a workout right quick. So I do a workout at the resort. And I'm saying, do that, feeling good. Come back, uh, take a shower. We had already planned, like, we gonna go out and do stuff, whatever. So I'm looking in the little pamphlet that they give and, um, see different things. And at first, I wanted to do a helicopter ride.

• 18:39Speaker 03

  So then I call, that's what I'm saying, thankfully it wasn't nothing else crazy. So I called, we called, uh, you know what I'm saying, the helicopter people and they're like, nah, we don't do this service anymore. So I'm like, damn, like, I don't really know what else really I want to do, whatever. And then we thought about the camel ride. I'm like, I don't want to do that. So then, we look at the ATVs and then they have like the regular ones. And then they got the ones that are like, they call like the supercharged, like, the fast ones. But I'm like, nah, I don't want to get on those. I ain't trying to have no crazy shit happen. So I'm like, nah, get out. We just gonna get on the regular ones. So, we drive to the place and it's a sightseeing, you know what I'm saying, it's a sightseeing tour.

• 19:18Speaker 03

  So, we got a guide in front of us and uh, he's on the actual ATV we in like the K and M. Like the, the bigger, kinda like the car, car one. And really like, nothing really happened, bro. Shit was just crazy like, we had stopped, we, we got out by the beach. Um, took some pictures and then we got back in, in the K and M and we probably, probably like 10 seconds later, I'm driving up. It's like a hill and then there's a right turn, driving up, make the turn and the shit just tips, you know what I'm saying? It tips over but like, it tipped over like, shit happened so fast but it was like, really so slow. This shit was crazy and so like, as it was falling down, I didn't really even need to put my hand down, but it was a reaction.

• 20:02Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 20:03Speaker 03

  So, it's falling down, I tried to put my hand down and the top of the bar just like smashes my, smashes my hand. And I ain't even realize, you know what I'm saying, cause it happened like so fast. So, when I put my hand down, smashed it and um, you know what I'm saying, I'm looking at my hand and I realize, I'm like, what the hell? So, I'm starting to, like now, I'm kinda freaking out. Cause I'm, now we, we sideways and I'm stuck in the, like I'm trying to get out and I can't get out of the, you know what I'm saying? Get out of the, uh, the seatbelt and she can't get out either. So, we just sitting there, the people behind us, they trying to push it up. So, now I start looking at my legs, just trying to make sure everything else is straight and luckily, everything else was good.

• 20:46Speaker 03

  Um, I sat there, you know what I'm saying, for a little minute, cause they had to come and, and pick us up. And then that's when, you know what I'm saying, went to the hospital but uh, it was nothing crazy. I wouldn't, you know what I'm saying, I was.

• 20:57Fred Taylor?

  You wouldn't do donuts?

• 20:58Speaker 03

  I wasn't doing no donut. It was like, it was like some freak, like the freakiest accident I've ever, you know what I'm saying, been a part of. Uh, but like I say, it was just all bad timing, bro. That's, that's it.

• 21:08Fred Taylor?

  Thing for is your left hand and not your right.

• 21:10Speaker 03

  Not the right.

• 21:10Fred Taylor?

  Because look, I injured my right hand, I had a cast on it for three weeks and trying to wipe your ass with your offhand?

• 21:18Speaker 03

  Man.

• 21:19Fred Taylor?

  That's a whole different story.

• 21:20Speaker 03

  But I ain't even, I ain't even realized how much I needed my left hand to, I couldn't use it. I'm like, damn, like, I really need my left, so I couldn't imagine if it was my right.

• 21:29Ryan Clark?

  You know, that type of adversity that we go through with injury is something that all players understand, and it's something that you've done before in resetting, recognizing the position that you're in and moving forward. I am gonna take you back a little bit, though, to draft night. Xavier McKinney has an excellent college career, doesn't do as well as he wants to in the Combine, cramps up, runs four, six, but was expected to be a first-round pick, was the best safety in the draft coming out of college, and you don't go in the first round.

• 22:02Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 22:03Ryan Clark?

  And you go back that night and watch film of yourself, basically critiquing yourself to try to say, okay, if there are reasons I didn't go in the first round, here are the reasons, I wanna know them for myself, how do I correct those things and get better? How does an experience like that both hurt you, but also allow you to grow?

• 22:26Speaker 03

  I think just the timing of that was, was crazy. Obviously, being at the Combine and having that shit happen, like, so I don't even really talk about the story. So before I even ran that 40, well, really before the draft, I was thinking of, it was me and Delpit were the top safeties. And for me, I saw it as a competitive, from a competitive standpoint, like, alright, it's me versus you, we about to see who's about to be better. But then I ended up finding out he wasn't doing anything. So I'm like, damn, like, I thought, you know what I'm saying, we was gonna compete, let's see who, you know what I'm saying, the best as far as drill work and running and shit. He ain't do it, but I felt like, I'm like, I'm gonna do it, you know what I'm saying? I don't wanna, you know what I'm saying, not be able to go out there and, you know what I'm saying, show

• 23:08Speaker 03

  my skill set and do all the extra shit. But before I ran the 40, and I was practicing the 40, I actually caught cramps before, like, so, you know, you do the, like, 10-yard, you just do the little warm-up. I caught cramps, and it was really 'cause, so the COVID year, it was, it was weird, man, because we had to sit. Uh, we were like sitting a whole bunch, like just the time we were just sitting. So we we got up one time, we warmed up. And then they told us to sit back down. So I had already warmed up, everybody's already warmed up. But then we had to sit back down for like another thirty, forty minutes. So I'm like, damn. So then, once I get down there to warm up, I run like a twenty yard and I felt myself cramped. And I'm like, oh shit. So I'm like, damn, maybe I shouldn't run this shit.

• 23:52Speaker 03

  So then I called my, uh, my agent and I'm like, bruh, like, I'm cramping, like, you know what I'm saying? He like, how you feel? I'm like, I'm still running. So knowing me, which it's it should, it was really bad because I really shouldn't. I really should have just hung it up and be like, I'm done. So I tried to take some electrolytes and you know, if y'all know, if y'all ever caught cramp, like that shit don't work instantly. Like that shit takes, it take a minute to work. So I take the electrolytes thinking, you know, I'm saying, I'm be straight. I start, I start stretching. And then as soon as I got to the line, I'm looking down the line and you know, that that that damn forty yard seemed like a hundred at the combine. So I'm like, fuck, so now I'm already, I'm already cramping.

• 24:33Speaker 03

  So then I get in my stance and like, I feel everything just tighten up and I'm like, I don't know how this about to go. So soon as I like get off that line, like every little, you know what I'm saying? Every step I take, I just feel it, every step, every step. And then, once I got to the end, I damn near like, I'm cramping it, like fully on cramping. So then after that, I just, I hung it up. But once I didn't get drafted that first round, it lit a fire in me. Uh, because, you know, I felt like, uh, you know, I was a first round talent. Uh, I felt like I should have, I should have, you know what I'm saying? Got chosen in the first round, I didn't. And so, you know, after that, and I, it was, it was kind of a hard couple of days. Uh, cause I had everybody, like my whole family was there. Once I did it, I told everybody to go home.

• 25:19Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends, like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an Ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 25:48Speaker 03

  And the next day, I wasn't gonna have nobody come back. Because at this point, I'm embarrassed. I'm pissed that I didn't go first round. But then I had to talk with my mom. And she was just telling me, like, you know what I'm saying? It's gonna come. You're gonna get drafted the second day. So I just told everybody to come back. I got drafted. But then, you know what I'm saying? Before that night, that same night, I went back and watched all my film. And then that next morning, I watched my film. I wrote down all the, you know what I'm saying? The bad things that I didn't do well. I wrote down all the good things. I just watched film of myself, kind of critiqued myself real hard. And I just went from there, man. I just kept that in my mind.

• 26:33Speaker 03

  And I worked on all the shit that I felt like I needed to work on. And I also sharpened the things that I thought I was good at. And, you know what I'm saying? It just got me to this point, so.

• 26:43Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, you mentioned Wink earlier. Wink Martindale, who was the new defensive coordinator. Came over from the Baltimore Ravens. And in the offseason, you know, there were talks about... I did an entire interview about you being the green dot. And being the captain. And the way that they were kind of empowering you to be the guy on this team. And you're coming into this season, like, let's be frank. Joe Judge sucks.

• 27:08Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 27:09Ryan Clark?

  Right? Your team sucked. He's terrible. Damn, Timmy Toughnuts gets in front of the media every day and is saying these certain things. But he's not coaching in that way to get a team to do that. You start the season in Tennessee. Tennessee was the number one overall seed in the AFC last year. Go toe-to-toe, end up winning with a two-point conversion by Saquon. And a stop by y'all defensively. Coming into the season, were you expecting your team to play the way y'all did early on in the season?

• 27:43Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 27:44Ryan Clark?

  Really?

• 27:45Speaker 03

  And I say that because...

• 27:48Speaker 03

  When we started OTAs, like all the years before, nobody, like, we didn't start off all on the same page. I think everybody was kinda going in different directions. And I think a big reason to that was because of the coaching staff that we had there, which was, you know what I'm saying, Joe Judge and his, his crew. And so they just made it to where nobody wanted to come. Or like, if you didn't have to be there, nobody wanted to be there because we knew what they was gonna have us doing. That was the good part when, when Dave's and, you know what I'm saying, all the, the, the crew that's there now, when they came in because, so we talked to them and they actually listened.

• 28:29Speaker 03

  Like when we told them just about what we did previous years and what we wanted to do differently, they actually listened. And he told us, he like, "Look, I'm gonna take care of y'all, but, you know what I'm saying, on the other end of it, we gonna work." And we understood that and I think we all went into it like, we trying to change the culture now. Like, we don't wanna have another, a lot of guys, for me, it had only been two years, but a lot of guys was, you know what I'm saying, it was three years going on their fourth year. So I think collectively as a group, we just wanted to change the narrative. We wanted to change the culture. And once we all came in for OTAs, everybody was coming together as one. We started building that relationship with each other. I knew that from the beginning of the season that it was the start of something special because everybody was going the same direction.

• 29:14Speaker 03

  Like before, it was just like, everybody's pulling different directions. Coaches that we had before, a lot of people, they didn't like each other, but then they actually showed it. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you get coaches that don't like each other, but they can still, they know what the, the main goal is. But coaches we had, it was like, everybody's pulling different directions. So we was just going through a lot of stuff, but I realized with this group that we had this year, everybody was solid, everybody was, you know what I'm saying, pushing the same way. And it works a lot better when, you know what I'm saying, everybody's going in one, one direction.

• 29:45Channing Crowder?

  We all saw what Daboll did in Buffalo while he got the job in New York. And then you just see everybody, like you say, everybody getting better. When you're watching Daniel Jones, a young quarterback, then you're watching Saquon coming off the injury and you're just like, you know, what's he gonna come back and be? And then you see both of them get better, I would say. Like, did y'all see that early on and are you like, was Daboll a part of that? Was it injury? Was it age? Like, those dudes took off this year. I, I lost hope in Daniel Jones, to be honest. And then I started watching this year, I was like, huh.

• 30:14Speaker 03

  Oh, you actually had it?

• 30:15Channing Crowder?

  I saw great athleticism early on. But this year, I saw an athlete, but this year I started, I started to see a quarter.

• 30:24Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, I think from, even from the jump, like you could see the growth with DJ. You can see it with Say. And they was doing so much, like offensively, like, so the shit that y'all really saw, like, offensively this year, they ain't do none of that in OT. Like, the offense was completely different. They was doing shit like, a lot of times OTAs in camp, Saquon was out at receiver. You know what I'm saying? He running routes and doing, like, they all type of crazy formations. But we saw from the jump, we saw, you know, their improvement. As soon as, pretty much as soon as we started really going against each other, we could see that they both got better. And we knew, obviously, we knew Say was, who Say was gonna be, who he was gonna be. We already knew that.

• 31:09Speaker 03

  But it really showed, like, we like, alright, yeah, he really back. When camp, when we, when we started camping, he trucking, you, I probably seen video of him before. That was when I knew, like, alright, like, he's serious. Cause at that point, we wasn't even, we weren't even supposed to be doing shit like that. But he was, you know what I'm saying, we saw the, the, his step was fast. We saw that he was hungry. And, you know what I'm saying, once we saw that, we was like, shit, we gonna be good offensively. So, but we, we saw it from, you know what I'm saying, once we started, you know what I'm saying, competing against each other, we knew that they was ready to go.

• 31:45Channing Crowder?

  And like, Saquon, you know, we had, he been on, he been on the show with us. And just, you see his body, you see them big ass thighs. I had to compliment him on his thighs. I played with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, and before practice walking out, I'd always just go give him dap. Hey, brother, you good, man? We gonna, we gonna, we gonna grab them tonight? Because if your big ass break through this hole, I do not want to hit you. I'm just saying, like, you, you gotta tell Saquon to, hey, coming off injury, I know that man was wild.

• 32:10Speaker 03

  It's crazy, cause, so my rookie year, I met him, yeah, I think it was, yeah, it was my rookie year. I met him in the hole one time, and my damn chin strap went all the way to my damn eyes, bro. That shit was crazy, like, and we still talking about it to this day, like, that shit was, that was the wildest shit ever, but. For me and him, like, we just always tried to compete with each other. When we used to do one on ones, he would go receiver. And sometimes, we had made a bet, actually for camp. It was either who was gonna get, either he was gonna get more touchdowns, or I was gonna get more picks. So we had made a bet, just like a friendly bet during camp. And we would just always compete with each other, whether that was one on ones,

• 32:53Speaker 03

  whether that was overfield tackling, whatever it was. Because for me, I understood that, you know what I'm saying, he wanted the best backs in the league, if not the best back in the league. So I knew that it was gonna make me better. So I always wanted to, however I could, I always wanted to compete, you know what I'm saying, with, you know what I'm saying, the best guy. And obviously, I knew that I was probably gonna, like, for instance, when we played Carolina, and I had to guard McCaffrey. So I knew that I was gonna have these type of matchups in the season anyway. So I knew that he was gonna get me prepared, you know, for seeing, you know what I'm saying, the McCaffreys, the, you know what I'm saying, all these, the Mark Andrews, all these guys that were the top guys. I knew that he was gonna get me prepared for that. So it was fun to compete with him. Obviously, he's a competitive dude.

• 33:38Speaker 03

  So we just, we just had fun with it, you know what I'm saying, during camp and stuff like that.

• 33:43Fred Taylor?

  You talked about OTAs, the expectation, and building, starting to build from there. Talked about two of your team stars, and Saquon, and Daniel Jones. Aside from how you guys ended this year, and surprising everybody, because we didn't, I didn't think the Giants were gonna make the playoffs and do as well as you guys did, but you did great. Well, there, in terms of players, who was that one guy that was the biggest surprise and helped contribute to the team's success?

• 34:09Speaker 03

  I would say Isaiah, the receiver.

• 34:13Fred Taylor?

  Isaiah Hodgson?

• 34:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, Hodgson.

• 34:14Fred Taylor?

  Y'all picked him up late, though. That was November.

• 34:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, so when he came, like, he, like, I was like, damn. Really, I would say him and Richie.

• 34:24Fred Taylor?

  So that's two receivers, Richie James and Isaiah.

• 34:26Speaker 03

  Yeah, Isaiah, yeah. So I would say those two are the biggest, you know, reasons of how well we played offensively. I thought they had a great year. I thought they, you know, they were reliable the whole year. You could depend on them. And they were always guys that were gonna make the catches. And they had really good seasons. So I would say, you know what I'm saying, those two were the biggest, you know, reasons to why we did what we did offensively.

• 34:55Ryan Clark?

  Fellas, it's championship Sunday. Eight or four teams left in this thing, and only two of them get to go to the big dance. But you know who else wants to go to the big dance? DraftKings. Any new customer that signs up with the promo code PIVOT, you bet at least $5 on either one of these games, and you get another $200 in additional bets. They trying to help you win, may not help the teams, but it's gonna help you.

• 35:17Channing Crowder?

  Go ahead and put that on a same-game parlay. You said it. It's simple.

• 35:21Ryan Clark?

  You love a same-game parlay.

• 35:22Channing Crowder?

  Only got two games now. You know I love these boys, this sensey now. So, who wins? How much they win by? Over or unders? Multiple bets on the same game, and you have a chance of winning even more money.

• 35:33Fred Taylor?

  Correct, but the sportsbook is not everywhere, so some people will feel left out. But if you're not in one of those cities or states, don't worry. We got DraftKings Daily Fantasy, where you can still pick your favorite players to go ball out and do their thing, and you can still get money.

• 35:48Ryan Clark?

  Well, you know, DraftKings Sportsbook, right now, you grab your phone, download the DraftKings Sportsbook app, sign up using the promo code PIVOT. You bet on either of these championship games, any but $5, and you get $200 in additional bets. Let's get back to the show. You make sure y'all get to the games. But I kinda wanna talk about the Minnesota game. This was a game, early on in the season, it was tight. They end up edging you guys out late. I would think it's because, one, you blitzed on third down, gave Kirk, who can't read defense, is an opportunity to see what you was playing on Justin Jefferson. He gets a third-down catch, then you have the screen, puts you in position, puts them in position to kick a 61-yard field goal. But going into the game in the playoffs, a lot of people did think you guys had a chance,

• 36:31Ryan Clark?

  and it was gonna be about Say, it was gonna be about Daniel Jones, but also what y'all could do defensively to stop Justin Jefferson. He gets off, he's kinda going off early, has five catches early, but there are no big plays, or Dory's back, you're back. Right? So now, it's a different crew. Take us through a little bit of your feeling going into that game, and what it was like in your young career to finally be in a big game, be in the playoffs, and have your team come through the way y'all did. All the talk was about Justin Jefferson.

• 37:00Channing Crowder?

  Rightfully so.

• 37:01Speaker 03

  Yeah, rightfully so. You know what I'm saying? I played him before in college in big games. So I understood his game. I knew how good he was. But for me, I'm like, bruh, I don't want to keep hearing about him, you know what I'm saying, the whole week. Like, I ain't trying to hear that. So I had told the media, I'm like, we had, you know what I'm saying? A week before, we had seen him, you know what I'm saying, against Jair. And he ain't really have, he was really shut down. So for me, how I saw it was, you know what I'm saying? If he could do it, we could do it too. Because I knew who we had on defense. I knew our defense was really good and a top-tier defense. That's the mindset I went into it with. And he put on his pants, this is how I put on my pants.

• 37:44Speaker 03

  And, you know what I'm saying, if we able to limit him, obviously, we know he gonna make big plays because he's a great player. So we didn't get, you know what I'm saying, sidetracked by that. We knew that we weren't gonna stop him to zero yards. We knew that wasn't gonna happen. But we did know we had to limit him. And really, them first, like, five plays of the game was really my, like, my, I was really bullshitting. But once I had to settle in, because it was my first playoff game, so like, I was real, like, I was eager. I was anxious to kind of make a play. But once I, you know what I'm saying, settled down, you know what I'm saying, got into the game, like, everything was fine, everything went smoothly.

• 38:25Speaker 03

  Just going into that game, man, it was, it was a great feeling, just because it was my first time being in a playoff game, first time being in a real meaningful game. And I knew what was at stake. And that was like that for a lot of us. So I think even, you know what I'm saying, once we, once we settled down into that game, I think, like, we were fine. And we kind of understood, like, alright, this is what it's gonna take.

• 38:49Channing Crowder?

  How good did it feel to win it, though, bruh?

• 38:51Speaker 03

  Shit felt good, bruh. I ain't gonna lie. It felt, it felt good, because it felt like back to the college days, like, when you was, when I was winning them, you know what I'm saying, the Natty, the SEC Championship, those games, like, it went back to those games. And the atmosphere was crazy. And it just felt, it just felt, it was a different feeling, for sure.

• 39:10Channing Crowder?

  And you had that good feeling. You had the sweet honey. And then next week Philly came up.

• 39:16Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 39:20Channing Crowder?

  But all good comes some bad there, man. Like, you know, y'all had that excitement. Y'all a young team. Y'all are ascending. And then y'all really, now y'all line up against the Super Bowl favorite right now. Philadelphia Eagles. What was, what happened? What was that game like? I know it was excitement and division. Y'all done played them twice already. Y'all know how good they were. Then the game starts.

• 39:39Speaker 03

  I just felt like, me personally, I just didn't think that our energy level was where it needed to be. Like, and that was just from jump. I feel like it could have been a lot better. But I thought we prepared well the whole week. At the end of the day, they was just a better team than us. And, and, you know what I'm saying? It showed that night. And so, it was just, it was tough, dude. I ain't gonna lie, cuz they got out fast. And it was like, once they got out fast, we like, damn, like, shit, it's already 21 to 0.

• 40:11Channing Crowder?

  You about to put the sticks up.

• 40:13Speaker 03

  Yeah. Shit, we, we, we trying, we, yeah, we, we trying to figure it out, like, damn. So I'm thinking like, after halftime, like, all right, we gonna come out and we gonna make some noise.

• 40:24Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an Ultra. Because it's not just a superior like beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 40:54Speaker 05

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• 41:23Speaker 03

  Man, that shit really didn't, like, this shit really was the same way the whole game. And then I end up getting the sack fumble. We didn't get that back. And I'm like, this ain't going our way. So it was frustrating, but I also think it was a humbling experience. You know, I think we understood, like, alright, we know what it's gonna take to get past this level. We know, we know we got a lot of things to work on to be able to beat it, because the Eagles are gonna be the team to beat for us in our division. They're gonna be the team to beat every year. I think they building something great over there. They got a great leader in Jalen. So we just gotta improve and we're gonna have to go from there. But that was a rough night.

• 42:01Ryan Clark?

  So when you said the Eagles are gonna be the team to beat, right? We have a huge Cowboy fan here that runs our show. And as soon as you said it, she perked up.

• 42:12Fred Taylor?

  I perked up.

• 42:14Ryan Clark?

  See, they perked up like this, man. They felt like, hold on, he talking about the Eagles. It's supposed to be America's team. And when I look at the Eagles, you said the first thing is Jalen Hurts. His, his ascension to being an MVP caliber player is the sole reason why they're so difficult to beat right now. They run like three plays. But there's so much you could do off of those plays, and it's controlled by number one. But in your division, it is the New York Giants now, and it is the Dallas Cowboys, it's the Philadelphia Eagles. And that's a testament to your growth and your team's growth, because, what, four years ago, three years ago, it was the NFC Least, right? They weren't expecting those teams.

• 42:54Ryan Clark?

  So when you look at you guys being blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, again, underachieving and losing in San Francisco, not a Eagles being that team, how do you see this division going, going forward?

• 43:08Speaker 03

  I think we're gonna be competing to win the division every year from, from here on out. So it's gonna take, you know, obviously, those division games are hella tough, especially now, we get, you know what I'm saying, you got the Eagles, you got Dallas, even, you know what I'm saying, Washington.

• 43:25Ryan Clark?

  Do you really care about Dallas, though? Or is Dallas just all hype and fluff?

• 43:29Speaker 03

  Nah, I don't, I mean, me personally, I don't really care about Dallas. But we don't, I mean, we don't care about none of the teams in the division. We try and win the division at the end of the day. But we do know that, you know what I'm saying, those teams got talent. We do know they are really good teams. And we do know it's gonna take a lot to be able to beat them every year. So, you know what I'm saying, that's just the mindset that we go into it with. But like I said, we gonna be competing, you know what I'm saying, to win a division every year. I think we gonna have the team to do it. I think we're building, like I said, we're building something special. And I think we got something that's gonna be, we gonna be a hard team to beat every year. I know that for sure. I think we build it with just the players that we got.

• 44:12Speaker 03

  I think we build it even with the coaches that we have. So I think we got, everything is set in place. We just need, you know what I'm saying, a couple more pieces and, you know what I'm saying, we gonna be, we gonna be rolling.

• 44:25Ryan Clark?

  You get involved in different things in New York than other places. You can become a star in New York differently than other places. Like you look at OBJ. You know, obviously, the on the field play was spectacular here in New York. But being able to do all those other things, the Met Gala, all of this. You know, you got short hair on one side, long hair on the other side. I guess it's like your alternate personalities. I'm this guy off the field, this guy on the field. But I'm old, right? They make fun of me because I wear different, well, he does because he can't dress.

• 44:56Channing Crowder?

  Look at his neck.

• 44:58Ryan Clark?

  Because I wear clothes that are different.

• 45:00Channing Crowder?

  His neck is covered by claws right now.

• 45:02Ryan Clark?

  From other people. But, you know, I love watching the young cats, y'all guys, coming to the stadium, your own flair, your own style, and doing things differently and being comfortable in that. Like, you're really big into fashion. How does being in New York even fan that fire more for you and make you want to get into some more of those things?

• 45:26Speaker 03

  I think it's because I see so much different stuff in New York. You see so much different fashion. You see a lot of different people. For me, it makes me want to elevate my game. Because, you know what I'm saying, just seeing a lot of people being able to dress a lot of different ways. And even in ways that you don't even think like, he looks a certain way or she looks a certain way, but they dress totally different. So just seeing that just makes me want to elevate my game. And obviously, I'm big into fashion. And I want to be able to, eventually, like, once I'm done with football, I want to jump into the fashion industry. And I want to be involved, you know what I'm saying, with that. So just being in New York, just seeing all the artwork,

• 46:10Speaker 03

  seeing all the, you know, different clothing brands, you know what I'm saying, all the people that's trying to, you know what I'm saying, get their clothing brand off the ground and get their artwork off the ground. It's just inspiring to see. Just seeing how they work in the city. Obviously, everybody's always on the move. Everybody always working, everybody trying to, you know what I'm saying, get something done. So just seeing that just inspires me a lot. It ain't no city like New York, I say that for sure.

• 46:36Channing Crowder?

  So are you a natural blonde? Or which side did you die?

• 46:39Speaker 03

  I'm black. I'm black for sure.

• 46:43Channing Crowder?

  Because I'm, you know, I got the wicks as well. What motivated that hairstyle? Because you got the doodle braids, you got the Kodak blacks. You got the naturals, you know what I'm saying? I don't like the tips. You got the T-Pain tip. But I'm not a fan of the tips. You got a whole different thing. Did you cut the one side? Did the bleach shrink it? Like, just explain that to me.

• 47:00Speaker 03

  It's crazy, so like, some people, they ain't really, they thought I cut it. You know what I'm saying? But I'm like, nah, like, it really didn't, it wasn't supposed to be like that. But obviously, with the bleach, it shortened, you know what I'm saying, my hair on my left side.

• 47:14Channing Crowder?

  Oh.

• 47:15Speaker 03

  And so it just started to, like, at first, it was even. And then as time started to go by, this side just started to grow a lot faster. And at first, I'm like, I don't really like it. But then I thought, I'm like, it actually ain't bad. So then I kept it and, you know what I'm saying, it's my style. And, you know what I'm saying, everybody pretty much like it for the most part.

• 47:35Ryan Clark?

  When you came in, didn't the dude tell you about all the strip clubs that's here? Because you look like a strip clubber, I guess.

• 47:44Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, dude just walked up to me when we got to the hotel. Hey, man, there's like nine strip clubs around here. And I got you, I was like, damn. I'm a religious man.

• 47:53Ryan Clark?

  That's a, that's a lie. The atmosphere here, though, you mentioned like that people hustle, people work, all that. You could get caught up in, in this life. I believe it's a lot of times why dudes don't want to leave this place. Even if you may have a better opportunity to win, you also can have a chance to, to make more money. When you start here.

• 48:14Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 48:15Ryan Clark?

  And you see the other things that you could do, it's like, hey, hold on, like, like this the spot for me. But how have you been able to evade getting caught up in that, getting caught up in the hype, caught, caught up in the fame, caught up in the party, and caught up in the women, and just keep the main thing, the main thing?

• 48:29Speaker 03

  You gotta have balance, um, uh, especially I think here, um, like you said, it's a lot, it's so much to do in New York. It's so much stuff to get caught up with, um, but for me, I'm not really even, like, I don't even be doing a whole bunch of stuff. Uh, so I'm already like, I, I'm laying low a lot of the times. I don't, I don't, I mean, I go out to the city, but it's not like crazy. Um, it's not like I don't need to, um, I always am a person like, when I want to do something, I can do it. But a lot of times I want to chill anyway, so it's easier for me, um, to not really get caught up in the hype. Cause, uh, you know what I'm saying, when I'm, when I'm chilling, I'm chilling, um, but, um, I could see how, you know what I'm saying,

• 49:11Speaker 03

  people can get caught up in that, cause like I say, it's a lot of stuff, you know what I'm saying, to do. Um, it's a lot of places to be, a lot of different people to, to be around. Uh, but you just gotta have a balance and you gotta kind of know, you know what I'm saying, when to do stuff and when to not. Um, I think that's really, you know what I'm saying, the ultimate, ultimate thing.

• 49:29Channing Crowder?

  And with the change, talking about change, the change from college, uh, cause you from Roswell, Georgia, Alabama to now New York, that change. And then we kind of hit on them changes with the organization as well. You have Judge, who Ryan's made clear he's not a fan of. And then you.

• 49:47Ryan Clark?

  What are they gonna do, fight me?

• 49:48Speaker 03

  Nah, it don't make no difference to me.

• 49:50Ryan Clark?

  He gonna snatch off your damn turtleneck.

• 49:53Speaker 03

  I wish he would.

• 49:54Ryan Clark?

  And then Dave Ball, you kinda hit on it, but what's that difference? What's the flat out, you see it, you walk in that first day, oh damn.

• 50:03Speaker 03

  Just the energy and the passion that Dave's had. And it wasn't how, when Joe just came in, it was a lot of like, we was used to cussing every five seconds, you know what I'm saying? And Dave's wasn't like that. We understood that, you know what I'm saying, when he came in, we knew the goal was clear. And he wasn't trying to, you know what I'm saying, be an asshole or do anything that was funny acting. You know what I'm saying? He wanted to win games and, you know what I'm saying, he told us that from the jump. Obviously, we was already ready to change the narrative, so at that point, we didn't really care who came in. You know what I'm saying? We had already built that mindset of like, alright, we about to change this. We don't care what coaches come in the building, we gotta change this shit now.

• 50:47Speaker 03

  But luckily, you know what I'm saying, we got Dave's and we got all the other coaches. And like I said, they were so transparent with us and they actually listened to, you know what I'm saying, what we wanted to do. So, once we knew that, once we knew that they were actually gonna listen, you know, once we could actually trust them, everything was smooth sailing and it was a lot easier.

• 51:08Ryan Clark?

  We got four teams left. We could obviously make our decisions of who we think are the teams that could win this week, where you have Kansas City, Cincinnati on one side, Philadelphia, San Francisco in the NFC, which you were in. Looking at those four teams, who would you pick to win this weekend? And who ends up being the Super Bowl champion?

• 51:29Speaker 03

  I think Kansas City gonna beat the Bengals. And, man, this Eagles-San Fran game, I don't know. I think the Eagles gonna win. And I think... The reason San Francisco, I've always been saying it the whole year. I think that, you know what I'm saying, the, what's his name, Brock?

• 51:48Ryan Clark?

  Brock Purdy.

• 51:49Speaker 03

  I think he gonna mess up eventually. You know, so he's a rookie. But I do know he got a lot of talent around him, a lot of talent, so. But, you know what I'm saying, we've all seen, you know what I'm saying, the quarterbacks messing up with a lot of talent around them. So, I think that, you know what I'm saying, he gonna mess up. And I think Eagles going, it's gonna be Eagles versus Kansas City. And I, I wanna go with the Eagles winning it all.

• 52:14Ryan Clark?

  After playing them, the amount of times you guys have seen them last week, I can see that. I think in the end, you know, here's your chance for your coach. What's your pitch for Brian Daboll to be Coach of the Year?

• 52:28Speaker 03

  I think he should be Coach of the Year, just because he turned, he turned around organizations super fast. Like last year, we hit rock, like we was at rock bottom. And for him to come in and be able to change just how we, how we did things. Be able to shift the energy in the whole entire, like the whole entire building. When it goes from the cafeteria, the people that work in the cafeteria, to the trainers. Just that whole energy just shift in the building. And, and him being able to just turn things around in a, in a matter of one year. I think is, was just crazy.

• 53:12Speaker 03

  And obviously you don't see that a lot, obviously. Sometimes you see it takes a little minute for, for, you know what I'm saying, the new coaches to come in and get adjusted. But he, he got adjusted to the players, he got adjusted to, you know, everybody in the building. And, you know what I'm saying, he was able to, you know, lead us. And, you know, you know, we was able to string together, you know what I'm saying, wins. That a lot of people didn't even think we was going, like you said, a lot of people didn't even think we was gonna be in this situation and even get to the playoffs. So, just him, the fact of him being able to, to lead us and, and do that for our group. Now, I think that's a, you know what I'm saying, a big reason of why he should be Coach of the Year.

• 53:52Ryan Clark?

  You talked about in the NFC East, competing every year.

• 53:57Ryan Clark?

  You're on your, going into your fourth year.

• 53:59Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 53:59Ryan Clark?

  Contract talks may start, but we know for sure Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are up for contracts. And those, both of those guys had to bet on themselves.

• 54:10Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 54:10Ryan Clark?

  With going into this last year after being first round picks. How imperative is it for both of those guys to be back here next year?

• 54:21Speaker 03

  Uh, super imperative.

• 54:22Ryan Clark?

  Just in your mind, you say it's super imperative to you, they have to sign Saquon and Daniel Jones.

• 54:28Speaker 03

  Yeah, for sure. Um, because they are, um, a big reason to why we won the games that we won. Um, they're a big reason to why we're, we're, we were in this position that we were in this year. Um, and you know what I'm saying? They're our leaders. Uh, they're our captains. Um, so we know that. And, um, you know, they, I, to me, I think they're a huge part of, you know what I'm saying? What we want to do, uh, you know, just building towards the future and, and, uh, being able to win, you know what I'm saying? The, the Super Bowls and, you know, do all those things. So, um, I think, you know, so we definitely need, those guys definitely need to be back.

• 55:07Ryan Clark?

  One of my, my favorite safety of all time is Sean Taylor. Then it would be Troy Polamalu, next Ed Reed. Apparently Ed's one of your favorite safeties, if not your favorite. How does Xavier McKinney put himself on the same track of an Ed Reed?

• 55:25Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's tough. Um, that's tough. Uh, but I would say just getting that ball. Um, you know what I'm saying? I watch Ed Reed all the time and, uh, obviously everybody know he was able to get that ball. Um, he was able to make plays with the ball. So I think as far as that goes of, of just being, um, you know, in that caliber of, of a Hall of Famer, uh, you have to be able to. To get the ball, you gotta be able to make turnover. You gotta be able to do something with it also. So I think that's, you know what I'm saying? It's gonna be tough, but it's not impossible. Just gotta work. And at the end of the day, you just gotta, you gotta make it happen. So, you know what I'm saying? That's what I'm, that's what I'm trying to do.

• 56:08Fred Taylor?

  Say, we always ask the guests, what's been their biggest pivot? So I wanna ask you that, but I also wanna ask, on top of that, what's the end goal? Biggest pivot first in life?

• 56:18Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 56:18Fred Taylor?

  And then the end goal, after everything is said, like, what are you trying to achieve?

• 56:23Speaker 03

  I think, shoot, my biggest pivot in life.

• 56:27Ryan Clark?

  So crazy when you ask young people this.

• 56:29Speaker 03

  Yeah. They had a lot of life.

• 56:30Fred Taylor?

  We just started.

• 56:33Speaker 03

  Nah, I think, really, was after my, after this incident I just had. You know what I'm saying? I had to just think about, you know what I'm saying? Things going forward of how I had to do different things. I just thought, I started to think about life differently. You know what I'm saying? I started to really understand and sit back and like, every, every moment is precious. You know what I'm saying? You can't take nothing for granted, can't take the game for granted, can't take life for granted. And I'm thankful that, you know what I'm saying? It wasn't anything worse. I'm thankful that it was just my hand, cuz it could've been, you know what I'm saying? A lot worse. So I think that's the biggest pivot that, you know what I'm saying? I have had to make was just changing, you know what I'm saying?

• 57:17Speaker 03

  How I do certain things and understanding that now I have certain responsibilities where there's some things that I can't do. You know what I'm saying? Some, some stuff I gotta wait, you know what I'm saying? I gotta, you know what I'm saying? Kinda maneuver and do, do a lot of things different. So I would say that's the biggest pivot. As far as the end goal for me, obviously, I wanna be a Hall of Famer. I wanna be, you know what I'm saying? Consider one of the best to ever do it. That's always been my goal. And, you know what I'm saying? That goal will never, I will never, you know, bring that goal down. It's always gonna be up there. It's always gonna be the same thing. And I understand that, and I, I just gotta work to get to that point.

• 57:57Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, I think, you know, he's a linebacker. He's a running back, I was a safety. The one thing I would say is that there's no safety in being a safety. You do everything right and people don't always notice it. But the first thing you do wrong.

• 58:14Channing Crowder?

  They notice.

• 58:14Ryan Clark?

  You give up big plays, you give up touchdowns. And so, play everything top-down, make the plays you're supposed to, and you'll be exactly where you're supposed to be. Man, we appreciate you taking your time. I know this is a long season. We're happy that you're back healthy. And good luck in the future. You know, if the Dallas Cowboys come around and you stump them out, such is life, man. We appreciate you.

• 58:37Channing Crowder?

  Yes, sir, I appreciate y'all. Man, let's go to Mexico.

• 58:42Channing Crowder?

  I still got a day, a free day.

• 58:46Channing Crowder?

  Appreciate you.

• 59:11Speaker 06

  Every game day, you show up for your team. Now, it's your time.

• 59:21Speaker 07

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