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O-Zone Podcast: D.J. Hayden · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

0:08
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast featuring Jaguars dot Com Senior
0:13
Speaker 1: writer John Osher and Jack Buars Executive producer Dave the Kemis. Dave,
0:19
Speaker 1: I think before we get into the guests today, I'm
0:22
Speaker 1: still sort of intrigued as I think everybody is by
0:24
Speaker 1: the the quarantine or the isolation whatever. I keep hearing
0:28
Speaker 1: from people. They quote things are getting back to normal unquote.
0:34
Speaker 1: I don't really feel that. Uh. I went to Burrito
0:38
Speaker 1: gallery we lived in Springfield whenever, to the Riverside Barrito
0:41
Speaker 1: Gallery with my son and my wife the other night.
0:44
Speaker 1: We went and it was still and I've felt like
0:50
Speaker 1: I was in The Walking Dead at the beginning, when
0:53
Speaker 1: you feel like you're looking around and the world is
0:57
Speaker 1: changing and everything sort of sigh. I lent and you
1:00
Speaker 1: look over and there's some bodies over on you. I
1:02
Speaker 1: mean that that feeling of not of everything feeling odd
1:09
Speaker 1: and quiet and all that. That still felt like that
1:14
Speaker 1: to me. I'd begween, have you guys been out at all?
1:17
Speaker 1: I know you've got two young kids. What's your impression
1:20
Speaker 1: of that? Yeah, No, we haven't done like gone out
1:23
Speaker 1: and need or anything. Uh. I mean, we've still done
1:26
Speaker 1: Publix I've done the hardware store a couple of times,
1:29
Speaker 1: but like, my big thing is still when I go out,
1:32
Speaker 1: like it's almost like it's like this half second of
1:35
Speaker 1: panic you get is like it's like, oh, that guy's
1:38
Speaker 1: too close to me. Oh that what's going on here?
1:40
Speaker 1: What I touched? I touched, I touched everything. That's okay,
1:43
Speaker 1: Like I still kind of get like, and then it's
1:46
Speaker 1: about a half second and then it's like, Okay, stop worrying,
1:49
Speaker 1: everything's fine, Just go backs. Do a lot of this
1:53
Speaker 1: will surprise you. I don't do a lot of shopping
1:56
Speaker 1: during normal times because frankly, Shery doesn't trust me to
1:59
Speaker 1: do very much in my own so she would prefer
2:01
Speaker 1: to go do it. But during this when I've been home,
2:04
Speaker 1: she's still working in the office that she has a
2:07
Speaker 1: much more set schedule than I do. So I've been
2:09
Speaker 1: going to publics in Walmart. The the terror that I
2:14
Speaker 1: feel if I pick up a bright House smoothie right,
2:19
Speaker 1: for example, and it's not the flavor I want, I'm
2:23
Speaker 1: so scared to put it back. I'm like looking around
2:27
Speaker 1: and making sure that like the thought police aren't aren't
2:32
Speaker 1: swarming in on me. I'm not gonna say that I
2:35
Speaker 1: haven't bought a few things that I really don't want
2:38
Speaker 1: just because I'm scared to put it back. It's funny,
2:42
Speaker 1: but and I get I'm not making light of it.
2:45
Speaker 1: I get that the people who who are very concerned,
2:49
Speaker 1: there's legitimate concern, and I just don't quite know how
2:53
Speaker 1: to act yet. So I don't quite I'm not trying
2:57
Speaker 1: to make light of people who are concerning people to
2:59
Speaker 1: pick things and put them act. I just don't know
3:01
Speaker 1: what the rules are, right, yeah, and every and the
3:04
Speaker 1: funny part is like everyone has different rules and and
3:09
Speaker 1: it's and then it's funny like people get mad on
3:12
Speaker 1: both sides the break that they feel like break the rules.
3:14
Speaker 1: And it's when you go out and if you go
3:16
Speaker 1: out of public at all, like there is no winning.
3:19
Speaker 1: You can't. Like Like the entire time when I'm out
3:22
Speaker 1: or doing something, um now, the whole time I'm thinking
3:26
Speaker 1: like should I touch that? Am I getting too close?
3:28
Speaker 1: Am I? Or old on? Maybe maybe it's okay, Well
3:31
Speaker 1: maybe this person is weirded out by this. The whole
3:33
Speaker 1: time I'm just thinking, like about about the most simplest
3:37
Speaker 1: act that I've done a million times in the past,
3:39
Speaker 1: is now right now. In my head, I think about
3:43
Speaker 1: constantly the entire time You're you're actually doing it? Um,
3:47
Speaker 1: I think. And we haven't gone out and done the restaurant. Think.
3:49
Speaker 1: Part of that is we have two little kids, and
3:52
Speaker 1: it's hard to tell a four year old, hey, and
3:54
Speaker 1: not to touch something or don't go over there, like right,
3:59
Speaker 1: she's she's like, are about the role? So that's the
4:01
Speaker 1: main reason we haven't ventured out. Yeah, and it makes
4:06
Speaker 1: you wonder, uh. I get everybody who's listening to this
4:10
Speaker 1: knows the jay was a scheduled to go back on
4:13
Speaker 1: they of May, and it's a lighter thing. Dave and
4:17
Speaker 1: I won't be in that first group going back, probably
4:21
Speaker 1: a few weeks before we go back, because the Jaguars
4:23
Speaker 1: are being smartly cautious. But all these things we're talking
4:26
Speaker 1: about have to be on on steroids for the people
4:30
Speaker 1: making decisions about when teams go back. They're trying to
4:33
Speaker 1: balance Okay, we're going back, let's figure out what this
4:36
Speaker 1: means for players, what this means for football. It's a
4:38
Speaker 1: heavy lift between now and and and July or and
4:42
Speaker 1: ever these target dates are. So it's it's a it's
4:46
Speaker 1: going to be interesting to see how that plays out.
4:48
Speaker 1: I don't anticipate us being back in the office for
4:51
Speaker 1: a few weeks, and then when we are, it's going
4:55
Speaker 1: to be a fascinating a few months to see how
4:57
Speaker 1: life is really like for football players, for football coaches,
5:00
Speaker 1: for people around it, to the entire sports world. Yeah,
5:04
Speaker 1: and there's still a lot to be determined. And the
5:07
Speaker 1: one of vantas the NFL has is there will be
5:10
Speaker 1: some sports back before they start, so they'll be a
5:13
Speaker 1: little bit of a a test runner, a guinea pig
5:15
Speaker 1: for for the NFL. But even um, you know, on
5:19
Speaker 1: our team meeting the other day, they were talking about
5:21
Speaker 1: things even as simple as hey, there's only gonna be
5:24
Speaker 1: certain directions you can go into hallways to try to
5:26
Speaker 1: avoid avoid so you know, to keep social distance, and
5:31
Speaker 1: you know something even like you know, walking to like
5:34
Speaker 1: to go get coffee is gonna be different. Um, you know,
5:38
Speaker 1: we John has his own little office of course because
5:42
Speaker 1: he's the senior writer. But where I work, we work
5:45
Speaker 1: in an office with six other people, and uh, you
5:48
Speaker 1: know that's not socially distant. So we'll be interesting. What
5:51
Speaker 1: happens with that will be interesting. How we travel as
5:54
Speaker 1: a team with that process is like if what the
5:57
Speaker 1: airplanes like, it will be interesting what they do with
5:59
Speaker 1: the player. Players have to be quarantined. I mean, there
6:02
Speaker 1: are still so many things to be answered, and I
6:07
Speaker 1: don't think anyone has an idea, and and it seems
6:10
Speaker 1: like like the NFL has to prepare for like ten
6:15
Speaker 1: different scenarios that could possibly happen, and uh so it's
6:18
Speaker 1: hard to kind of find where that's gonna end up
6:22
Speaker 1: or even though and this thing has been changing so fast,
6:25
Speaker 1: you know, yeah, yeah, I would think the fascinating story
6:28
Speaker 1: to why it is it kind of obvious, but I'm
6:31
Speaker 1: sure they'll go into it with contingency plans, plan a
6:35
Speaker 1: plan being then down to Plan you know, eight or whatever.
6:40
Speaker 1: I would anticipate this being a year where by November
6:44
Speaker 1: they'll have gone through all those and it will look
6:47
Speaker 1: unlike anything we can even imagine. And now you may
6:51
Speaker 1: say on the podcast last week, I think fans should
6:53
Speaker 1: be prepared for a very odd season that maybe doesn't
6:59
Speaker 1: look like anything that ever came before it or after
7:02
Speaker 1: in the last fifty years in the NFL. I could see,
7:04
Speaker 1: you know, who knows if games are gonna be canceled
7:06
Speaker 1: a certain player and not all games but a few
7:10
Speaker 1: games here and there not being able to get in
7:12
Speaker 1: or rescheduled, having games on Saturday afternoon Thursday. You know,
7:16
Speaker 1: who knows? That's note inside information, that's just trying to
7:20
Speaker 1: figure this out. But it just seems like this could
7:23
Speaker 1: be one where the NFL, above any other sport, is
7:28
Speaker 1: about routine schedule. You know when things are gonna happen.
7:32
Speaker 1: It's since I was pre consciousness, games have been on
7:37
Speaker 1: at one o'clock, four o'clock, lately eight o'clock on Sunday night.
7:42
Speaker 1: You knew what your Monday schedule was. Yifty three players,
7:48
Speaker 1: Guys are are deactivated half an hour before the game,
7:51
Speaker 1: all that stuff. A lot of those things could feel
7:55
Speaker 1: very much fly by the seat of the pants, much
7:57
Speaker 1: more than the NFL has ever used to. It is
7:59
Speaker 1: a root team game, and this is not a routine season,
8:02
Speaker 1: So uh who knows that it's it's gonna be fascinating.
8:07
Speaker 1: But I guess that brings this now in a roundabout
8:11
Speaker 1: way to our to our guest this weekend. It's a
8:15
Speaker 1: guy that I have been fascinated by since he joined
8:19
Speaker 1: the Jaguars. He joined the Jaguars in a weird situation
8:24
Speaker 1: replacing a very popular player, very effective player with a
8:28
Speaker 1: position group the Jaguars secondary when he when this person
8:32
Speaker 1: came in in two thousand eighteen, was a very tight
8:34
Speaker 1: knit group. He came in and was fitting in with
8:37
Speaker 1: the likes of Jalen Ramsey, a j boy, a very
8:42
Speaker 1: church to Sean Gibson, very very powerful, dynamic. Now low
8:47
Speaker 1: and behold, he's the last guy left. And he's a
8:50
Speaker 1: guy who I think is playing as well at his
8:53
Speaker 1: position in the last couple of years as any player
8:56
Speaker 1: in the Jaguars defense, maybe any nickel back at the end,
9:00
Speaker 1: fell heart, imagine guy out playing this guy. It's got
9:04
Speaker 1: d J Hayden cornerback to the Jaguars. DJ. First of all,
9:08
Speaker 1: you know, I'm I've been doing this. That's from you
9:11
Speaker 1: in the NFL. Obviously, this is a completely different kind
9:14
Speaker 1: of offseason. What is it like from a player's perspective?
9:18
Speaker 1: Is it? Is it dramatically different yet for you feeling
9:22
Speaker 1: that yet just from a football stand how different is this? Uh?
9:26
Speaker 1: It's very very different because around this time and when
9:29
Speaker 1: you're starting O T A S. We like with our
9:31
Speaker 1: team right now, um, I think like the riches to
9:35
Speaker 1: just be coming in everybody kind of get acquainting with you. Well,
9:39
Speaker 1: that's not doing that. It's just what kind of losing
9:41
Speaker 1: out on just a chance to kind of build that
9:43
Speaker 1: team industry because it'd be every team really has a
9:47
Speaker 1: new team in the year and uh, but the O
9:49
Speaker 1: T eight period it kind of help you kind of
9:51
Speaker 1: get acquainted, like back in the defense, back in just
9:54
Speaker 1: the whole routine of football, you know what I mean.
9:58
Speaker 1: So with us not having that right now, it's just
10:01
Speaker 1: like everybody's like kind of on their own, unless they're
10:04
Speaker 1: like with guys and the other CDs or whatever. But Biby,
10:09
Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's a little challenging, but it's just
10:13
Speaker 1: it's just something you know, we have to deal with.
10:15
Speaker 1: So now you've been doing this a long time, so
10:19
Speaker 1: obviously you I'm sure have the experience to know how
10:21
Speaker 1: to get yourself ready even though you're not around. This
10:26
Speaker 1: is kind of tough because like we gotta think about it, like, um,
10:30
Speaker 1: like when O come, we have like Ricky mini camps
10:32
Speaker 1: and whatever. So the Ricky some some Rickie's that'd be
10:36
Speaker 1: like their chance to like kind of make a squad,
10:38
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, because some they might take
10:41
Speaker 1: a Rickie that they brought just for um for the
10:44
Speaker 1: Ricky in from the Rocky Mini camp. So like some
10:47
Speaker 1: guys are kind of losing a little opportunities. But I mean,
10:52
Speaker 1: if it's meant to me, it is meant to be.
10:54
Speaker 1: It's kind of It's just it's kind of tough though,
10:56
Speaker 1: because the Rickies they don't really know like if we
11:00
Speaker 1: go straight into training and we're just gonna be going
11:02
Speaker 1: straight into training camp. So I mean, it's just gonna
11:05
Speaker 1: be happy to play like a little catch up. But
11:07
Speaker 1: it's nothing. I'm pretty sure they can handle that. To me,
11:11
Speaker 1: you're a pros pro. You don't play in this league
11:14
Speaker 1: in as many different situations as you do if you
11:17
Speaker 1: don't know how to prepare obviously you know how to
11:20
Speaker 1: fare and get yourself ready. Um, are you doing anything
11:23
Speaker 1: I guess that special or different right now? To deal
11:27
Speaker 1: with doing it ver virtually or just doing what you
11:31
Speaker 1: usually do or how would you put that? Like we're
11:35
Speaker 1: doing like our virtual meeting, So like I'll put I'll
11:38
Speaker 1: put aside like maybe an hour or two a day
11:40
Speaker 1: just to kind of go back through the defense on
11:43
Speaker 1: my own, just just remember in the cause and everything,
11:47
Speaker 1: and uh, but I just do workouts, man, I mean it,
11:50
Speaker 1: it would be nothing different that I wasn't doing. But
11:53
Speaker 1: it's just it's just extended my workouts. Just I'm just
11:56
Speaker 1: doing all my home workouts and uh I'll go to
11:59
Speaker 1: the field as well and just just working my craft
12:02
Speaker 1: a little bit, just just thinkings. They just always be ready.
12:06
Speaker 1: So a part of what we like to do, and
12:08
Speaker 1: this is get to know the person we're talking to
12:10
Speaker 1: a little bit. And I'll be honest, I wasn't completely
12:14
Speaker 1: familiar with your entire story and how you got here.
12:17
Speaker 1: I think everybody sort of knew what happened to Houston
12:20
Speaker 1: senior year. But this has not been an easy road
12:24
Speaker 1: for you. Your path has been difficult or do you
12:28
Speaker 1: see it that way? I would say it was a rough.
12:32
Speaker 1: It was diffinite web journey with a lot of adversity
12:36
Speaker 1: up ahead. But I just kind of I kind of
12:39
Speaker 1: fought my way through. And you know, because coming out
12:41
Speaker 1: of high school, like I didn't have no offers. I
12:44
Speaker 1: had to graduate like a whole year later, and it
12:48
Speaker 1: was like crazy and basically like, um, I just I
12:52
Speaker 1: just didn't take care of my business when I was younger,
12:55
Speaker 1: So basically I end up playing at a prep school
12:59
Speaker 1: right how school. Then from there I had to go
13:02
Speaker 1: to junior college and from June College on to you
13:04
Speaker 1: of age and just a whole little process is just
13:10
Speaker 1: just taught me. Man, better late than never, you know,
13:14
Speaker 1: always just always grinded. Man. Just take care of your
13:18
Speaker 1: business man. You're gonna have to do it anyway. And
13:19
Speaker 1: see my sleges knock it out early for Jaguars cans.
13:22
Speaker 1: You don't know. And I was amazed by. And now
13:24
Speaker 1: you've talked about it before, but the injury you had
13:26
Speaker 1: at Houston was about as scary and injury as I
13:30
Speaker 1: was ever seen been around. I know you've talked about
13:33
Speaker 1: it before in the media, may be tired of talking
13:35
Speaker 1: about it, but from your perspective, Uh, how frightening was that?
13:40
Speaker 1: It's very frightened. I mean, I told my infery to
13:43
Speaker 1: be in the cave. But that's just the main thing
13:45
Speaker 1: that pump blood to your heart. And I usually never
13:48
Speaker 1: happened on the fall off, never happens really on the
13:50
Speaker 1: flull off field, but you know, in my case, it happened.
13:54
Speaker 1: You know, I'm actually meaning another team maybe ran into
13:56
Speaker 1: each other. I got I got hit in the chest,
13:58
Speaker 1: and uh, it kind of ruptured the veins, so I
14:01
Speaker 1: was bleeding internally, and they really didn't know what I was,
14:03
Speaker 1: what was wrong with me. I just couldn't see anything,
14:06
Speaker 1: like I was losing blood intern me. So west me
14:09
Speaker 1: to the hospital, took me to the emergency surgery, and
14:13
Speaker 1: doctors just like we're just gonna have to just open
14:14
Speaker 1: you up and figure out was wrong. So yeah, they
14:19
Speaker 1: cut me open from like my neck all the way
14:22
Speaker 1: past my belly button, and uh yeah, sold me back together.
14:29
Speaker 1: And I've seen a couple of stories just from you're
14:33
Speaker 1: talking about it a little bit. And the first time
14:36
Speaker 1: you played again after that, it was a very emotional
14:39
Speaker 1: experience because you're so thankful to be on the field. Um,
14:43
Speaker 1: I'm wondering if that still stays with you, that feeling
14:46
Speaker 1: of like, yes, uh, understanding how fortunate you are. I'm
14:52
Speaker 1: just thankful to be breathing right now, you know. Yeah,
14:55
Speaker 1: my first time playing back, it was emotionally because I
14:58
Speaker 1: didn't even think I was gonna make it to that point,
15:01
Speaker 1: but I did, and it was truly blessed, truly thankful.
15:05
Speaker 1: But um, you know, the story is not over. You
15:07
Speaker 1: just gotta keep moving forward, just learning from the past
15:12
Speaker 1: and uh, he keep going and keep swinging. Amazingly enough,
15:16
Speaker 1: you came back here at the combine or at your project.
15:19
Speaker 1: You have to miss the combine and you strain your
15:21
Speaker 1: hands string at the project. At some point at that point,
15:25
Speaker 1: are you thinking, man, did I get a break? I
15:30
Speaker 1: mean no, I wasn't. I wasn't thinking like that. It
15:34
Speaker 1: was just like, damn, I wish I would have I
15:38
Speaker 1: don't know, stress better than something, but maybe you know
15:43
Speaker 1: I was. I was mad at myself because I couldn't
15:45
Speaker 1: even finish the workout, but you know, everything else still
15:49
Speaker 1: worked out well. So we'll take me through. Um. This
15:53
Speaker 1: Jaguars team is dramatically different obviously the one you signed
15:59
Speaker 1: with two years ago. I are Are you ever amazed?
16:06
Speaker 1: And how quickly the NFL changed? I'm not amazed anymore
16:10
Speaker 1: because I kind of got used to it. But yeah,
16:12
Speaker 1: we gotta them, their whole them. They're a new team
16:16
Speaker 1: from when I first time, And I mean that's just
16:19
Speaker 1: the nature of the game, man, Guys. They move guys
16:22
Speaker 1: in and out, That's just how it is. But with
16:27
Speaker 1: the guys that we have now, I believe that we, uh,
16:30
Speaker 1: we have a chance to do something special. You know,
16:33
Speaker 1: if you put all the work in and jil together.
16:35
Speaker 1: I think the Scots a limit for this team. We
16:38
Speaker 1: just gotta we just gotta make it happen. Man, Just
16:41
Speaker 1: take advantage of all our opportunities and make the best
16:44
Speaker 1: of them. Yeah. I was looking at it, and it's striking.
16:48
Speaker 1: I think only like three or four guys on defense
16:50
Speaker 1: have been around as long as you, and you've been
16:54
Speaker 1: been around three years, which is which is think Miles unique.
16:59
Speaker 1: You know few guys avery, but you're for the veteran
17:03
Speaker 1: of the bunch in age and in tenure with the team,
17:06
Speaker 1: which is quick for three years. Does that change how
17:09
Speaker 1: you approach things? I guess it's the question. Uh yeah,
17:11
Speaker 1: I feel like this past year I kind of have
17:13
Speaker 1: to step up a little more to be more local
17:15
Speaker 1: leader and uh but yeah, They're gonna count on my
17:18
Speaker 1: leadership this season, and I'm excited for it. Man. I'm ready, man,
17:22
Speaker 1: I'm ready to get in there and work. Man. I'm excited. Man.
17:24
Speaker 1: We gonna have some young guys there draft to the
17:27
Speaker 1: corner in first round, so uh c J. Henderson so
17:31
Speaker 1: he can be in the mix. So I'm just ready
17:33
Speaker 1: to just get to work, man. Get back, uh, get
17:37
Speaker 1: back these football juices flowing. What is it you like
17:39
Speaker 1: about the guys who are playing with back there? You're
17:42
Speaker 1: all willing to like work and learn. Man, don't nobody
17:44
Speaker 1: think they better than the group. We just we just
17:47
Speaker 1: out to grind and trying to get it. And then
17:49
Speaker 1: they're all young guys, so they're all hungry because they
17:53
Speaker 1: really uh. A lot of these guys are still like
17:56
Speaker 1: anywhere from first to third or fourth year players, so
18:00
Speaker 1: they're still young. They're still young, hungry to eat. And
18:07
Speaker 1: I'm just excited, man, I'm excited to watch these guys
18:09
Speaker 1: put me. One thing I've been fascinated by with the
18:12
Speaker 1: league over the last seven or eight years is how
18:15
Speaker 1: the position you played his evolved, meaning ten fifteen years ago,
18:20
Speaker 1: the nickelback was. It seems a different position than it
18:24
Speaker 1: is now. It's much more important now that it it ever
18:26
Speaker 1: has then. It always strikes me that you can play
18:29
Speaker 1: cornerback just being a quarterback, but you have to be
18:31
Speaker 1: a football player to play nickel meaning the experienced division
18:34
Speaker 1: all right, do you see it that way at all?
18:38
Speaker 1: I feel like you gotta have your football. You have
18:41
Speaker 1: to have a football, i Q because you're basically in
18:44
Speaker 1: the box like a linebacker that you playing DV, so
18:48
Speaker 1: you gotta cover a lot. Most of the time you're
18:50
Speaker 1: covering the guys in the slot, so they don't really
18:53
Speaker 1: how the sideline and use you got it. You gotta
18:56
Speaker 1: deal with lineman, you gotta deal with pulls, you gotta
18:59
Speaker 1: do all types off. But I mean it's football though,
19:03
Speaker 1: I mean, it's just a part of it. Huh. It's
19:06
Speaker 1: just it's kind of under like the dirty jobs. But
19:07
Speaker 1: it's it's fun though. You get to blids to get
19:10
Speaker 1: a lot of tackles and stuff, so it's fun. I
19:12
Speaker 1: love you've always been a blecher. That I was reading
19:16
Speaker 1: something in college or actually when you were coming out
19:19
Speaker 1: that that was the skill you always have. You always
19:21
Speaker 1: like doing that. Yeah, I like to do like I
19:24
Speaker 1: don't like get to get sex. Why are you good
19:29
Speaker 1: at it? It's just is it just instinct? I mean,
19:31
Speaker 1: is that a knowledge to do? This is fun? Yeah?
19:35
Speaker 1: I just just just because you know, dvs really don't
19:38
Speaker 1: we don't have to get too many chances to like
19:40
Speaker 1: get sacks like rush good. You know, nik, you don't
19:45
Speaker 1: get more chances than you would at corner. So I
19:48
Speaker 1: just try to take advantage of it as all I
19:51
Speaker 1: got you a couple of quick questions. I like to
19:53
Speaker 1: ask all right about teammates and you can can't you
19:57
Speaker 1: started playing them up from your p active, hardest worker
20:01
Speaker 1: on the team. Who's the guy that if you were
20:03
Speaker 1: telling a rookie, hey, watch this guy on the team,
20:09
Speaker 1: I would say Jay Dug in the secondary, I would
20:12
Speaker 1: tell rookie's like the rookie's safeties, like why is Jay Dug?
20:14
Speaker 1: And how do you post the game? Is that just
20:16
Speaker 1: all out? I mean time put in, yeah, time put
20:20
Speaker 1: in how to watch film, the whole thing, weight room,
20:23
Speaker 1: just to just the extra stuff you gotta do to
20:26
Speaker 1: take care of your body. Because I think that was
20:28
Speaker 1: the biggest thing for me to learn, is that just
20:30
Speaker 1: take care of my body is like after the game.
20:31
Speaker 1: I didn't really start doing it to like my fourth
20:33
Speaker 1: year in the league, but now like we just just slowly.
20:37
Speaker 1: Just just get your routine, whatever you like to do
20:40
Speaker 1: for the game, for practice. Just find you some type
20:44
Speaker 1: of routine that you just do every day just you
20:48
Speaker 1: don't get better. Do you have a pre game routine?
20:52
Speaker 1: Anything stands out, any ritual, superstition, anything like that. For
20:57
Speaker 1: like the away games, I like to wear like h
21:01
Speaker 1: some of the other team's colors and whatever I'm wearing
21:03
Speaker 1: two bus I don't know, it's just weird, but I
21:06
Speaker 1: do that. It was easy playing Oakland last year. You
21:11
Speaker 1: already had Yeah, this is a black left. That's true.
21:16
Speaker 1: That's true. When you were coming up to anybody, you
21:19
Speaker 1: monitor your game after anybody you admired. Uh, I should
21:23
Speaker 1: like pet Petgriy Peterson. When I was in college, I
21:27
Speaker 1: watch a lot um you know, of course, like all
21:30
Speaker 1: the great was like, do you know what I'm saying
21:31
Speaker 1: this CHAMPI baby niece, williams Um just something Sam Mus
21:38
Speaker 1: just watching all them guys. Man, how they used to
21:40
Speaker 1: make players, Charles Woodson, how they used to make plays
21:44
Speaker 1: and just go to attack the ball. You know, I
21:48
Speaker 1: love this stuff. So you were a fan growing up
21:51
Speaker 1: some guys some players have been around, aren't, But it
21:54
Speaker 1: sounds like you followed it. Yeah. I grew up loving
21:56
Speaker 1: for Bolas, who watched six years old. So I mean, like,
22:00
Speaker 1: this is what I love. Man. I was I was
22:02
Speaker 1: going to do this, and I just knowledge the great
22:06
Speaker 1: ones who came before me, you know, so just accepted
22:10
Speaker 1: go out there and trying to make more place. Best
22:13
Speaker 1: player you ever played. But when I was in junior
22:16
Speaker 1: because we had this one running back his name was
22:18
Speaker 1: Derek called this This dude was like the best running back,
22:24
Speaker 1: especially coming in from like prep school to June College,
22:28
Speaker 1: and it was really good. He should have made it
22:31
Speaker 1: to the league, but he kind of like got in
22:33
Speaker 1: trouble and stuff. But man, he was and let you
22:36
Speaker 1: out there. But I mean it's question. You know, stuff happens.
22:42
Speaker 1: But I was like to Gus, guys, how many guys
22:46
Speaker 1: did you see like that coming out? I've always been
22:49
Speaker 1: told there's a million guys out there and could have played.
22:52
Speaker 1: It's just tough to stay on the track and stay
22:54
Speaker 1: in it. It's harder to get to this league. It's
22:57
Speaker 1: more than talent, it is my point. Yeah, want the town, man.
23:00
Speaker 1: You gotta keep your head on straight. Man. You just
23:02
Speaker 1: can't be out there just just wading out man, you know,
23:08
Speaker 1: because it's still a business too. Man. You gotta conduct
23:10
Speaker 1: yourself like a business. And some guys just don't get it.
23:14
Speaker 1: Like some guys all they have to do is just
23:16
Speaker 1: just keep their mouth shut and then they would they
23:19
Speaker 1: would do good just about being quiet for uce. You know,
23:22
Speaker 1: some guys opening off and they get there doing whatever
23:25
Speaker 1: it's just either he's a bad name on them or
23:28
Speaker 1: they're getting some type of secreation whatever. But man, it's
23:32
Speaker 1: so many, as I can say, at least about twenties
23:36
Speaker 1: and fifty guys I played with who had the talent
23:40
Speaker 1: to be around man, but they just just something happened
23:43
Speaker 1: long down down the road. Did you always have an
23:46
Speaker 1: appreciation for that, for somebody to put you aside and say, hey,
23:49
Speaker 1: you've got a chance to make it, but here's what
23:51
Speaker 1: it's gonna take. Uh, To be honest, not really. I
23:54
Speaker 1: was kind of more of a sleeper growing up, like
23:56
Speaker 1: people really didn't. Even when people see me now, they like,
24:00
Speaker 1: what's like, how did he do? What him is going on?
24:05
Speaker 1: But because I was like always smaller than everybody, I
24:09
Speaker 1: didn't get the gros sperad. So I was like my
24:11
Speaker 1: senior year and it was just like I was like,
24:15
Speaker 1: I've been like an underdog my whole life. I mean, yes,
24:19
Speaker 1: some people probably told me that, but I didn't even
24:23
Speaker 1: I wasn't really here. I had one I had a
24:25
Speaker 1: thing on my mind. I had my own plan, and
24:29
Speaker 1: uh I was That's what I was going through. That's
24:31
Speaker 1: how I was sticking with. I knew I was good enough.
24:34
Speaker 1: I just had to make plays just to show it.
24:36
Speaker 1: So final thoughts um on the Jaguars this year, there's
24:43
Speaker 1: it was like all the predictions, all the predictions are
24:45
Speaker 1: that it's it's gonna be a tough scene every so
24:47
Speaker 1: it happened last year. What do you see in the
24:50
Speaker 1: team that you believe it's gonna go well? What gives
24:53
Speaker 1: you confidence going into this? I feel like it's a
24:56
Speaker 1: fresh start, and you know it's gonna be zero zero,
24:59
Speaker 1: so that can book. But we can go in there
25:01
Speaker 1: and be the underdogs and just take over if you
25:04
Speaker 1: put the work in and and everybody you know, just buying,
25:09
Speaker 1: just locking and just take care of their business. I
25:12
Speaker 1: don't see why I see the scott of limit for
25:15
Speaker 1: this team. We just we can do good. We just
25:17
Speaker 1: gotta do. You know, I got the talent, got the coaches,
25:22
Speaker 1: I just got apply pressure on everybody. And players never
25:25
Speaker 1: careful but outsiders thing they're not. You're on the field
25:28
Speaker 1: with us. So all your uncles and aunts and your
25:33
Speaker 1: cousins and your friends that worried the co workers talking
25:37
Speaker 1: all like, oh they need to do this, they need
25:39
Speaker 1: to do that, ain't none of them never played probably
25:41
Speaker 1: a liquor football, So yeah, I really don't. I really
25:45
Speaker 1: don't care what they do. And now the Ozone five
25:49
Speaker 1: with djy f DJ. What is your last thing to watch? Um?
26:00
Speaker 1: The last dances Marcus Joan DRM this isn't part of
26:04
Speaker 1: the five but m j or Lebron but you got
26:08
Speaker 1: dam Jay? What's in your pockets when you leave the house?
26:13
Speaker 1: While there's my keys? Last station or song listen to
26:19
Speaker 1: in your car? The last song I listen to my
26:22
Speaker 1: car was Jason iding youki eat? I can last sure
26:27
Speaker 1: you did around the house, washed clothes. That's good? Uh?
26:33
Speaker 1: And finally your go to take out month. There's all
26:36
Speaker 1: these kids and for sure, for sure good stuff. Some
26:39
Speaker 1: steak about with the rice and the retalle beans and
26:44
Speaker 1: say real but Taylor salad and be hidden. Well, DJ,
26:48
Speaker 1: I enjoyed it. I appreciate you joining us. I think
26:52
Speaker 1: the fans were hearing this. I think they'll see a
26:54
Speaker 1: different side of you and I'm looking forward to and
26:56
Speaker 1: I appreciate you joining us very much. Man, no problem,
26:59
Speaker 1: I appreciate you ill haven't David. I think what's always
27:03
Speaker 1: interesting to me when I'm interviewing or talking to a
27:06
Speaker 1: veteran he certainly fits. This is guys who stay in
27:12
Speaker 1: the league six or seven years usually aren't staying in
27:16
Speaker 1: just because of talent. They're staying in because they have
27:19
Speaker 1: learned how to be professionals. Here's a guy whose role
27:23
Speaker 1: has dramatically changed, and he came into the league. He
27:25
Speaker 1: came in as a top outside corner number eleven pick
27:30
Speaker 1: or number twelve pick in the draft. He has clearly,
27:33
Speaker 1: to me, learned how to be a pro over the years,
27:35
Speaker 1: switch positions, learned positions. I think nickelback is the hardest
27:40
Speaker 1: position on defensive play. He has figured out how to
27:45
Speaker 1: play it, how to bring linebacker traits, cornerback traits into
27:52
Speaker 1: this role, and has learned how to take his talent
28:00
Speaker 1: and be a very productive player. And he's now on
28:02
Speaker 1: his third team, and he's found a home on his
28:07
Speaker 1: third team, which is pretty unusual in the NFL. He was,
28:11
Speaker 1: you know, raiders first, Ben Lyons usually by year six
28:16
Speaker 1: or seven, which DJ is going into year eight, I
28:18
Speaker 1: think sort of played out and they're drifting around going
28:22
Speaker 1: team to team. He's now a core guy in his defense.
28:26
Speaker 1: So a very fascinating story and a guy who is
28:30
Speaker 1: uh I think, really earned a long career in the NFL,
28:34
Speaker 1: and I respect that a lot. Yeah, I mean, even
28:36
Speaker 1: based on that injury had in college, which terrific and
28:39
Speaker 1: he's able to come back from from it. Really it's
28:43
Speaker 1: really says something about your your personality. From what he
28:47
Speaker 1: talked about, I think he's talked about it a whole
28:49
Speaker 1: lot and didn't He doesn't really want to spend hours
28:53
Speaker 1: talking about it anymore, and I understood that. But for
28:57
Speaker 1: people who don't know the story, the injury he had,
29:02
Speaker 1: doctors said afterwards, it's very you don't see injuries like
29:07
Speaker 1: that except in high impact car collisions, and that's why
29:11
Speaker 1: it was. It was very touch and go for a
29:13
Speaker 1: while whether he would live or not after it because
29:18
Speaker 1: I read one story is like fatality right when this happens,
29:22
Speaker 1: because sometimes the attending physicians don't know what's going on.
29:28
Speaker 1: High number. So I mean it's it's a I get
29:31
Speaker 1: when people sort of move on from that, ready to
29:34
Speaker 1: let that go. But fascinating life and career the d J.
29:39
Speaker 1: Hayden has had. Yeah, and also is a great eight
29:41
Speaker 1: second SoundBite in the locker room, which he'll have two
29:44
Speaker 1: or three a year where it's just bald. But what
29:47
Speaker 1: I want to get to about DJ and is for
29:50
Speaker 1: his age, he's a Jordan guy, not Lebron guy. That's
29:53
Speaker 1: pretty surprising. Like me, I'm a Jorge guy all the
29:55
Speaker 1: way because thirty five years old, and that was like
29:59
Speaker 1: prime sports viewing for me. It was Michael Jordan's The
30:01
Speaker 1: Last Dance documentary has been unbelievable for me. But I
30:06
Speaker 1: was a surprise based on based on age, because I mean,
30:08
Speaker 1: he's he was probably, you know, a teenager when Lebron
30:13
Speaker 1: came in, and that's I'm sports viewing, and uh, it
30:16
Speaker 1: would take some work for him to actually uh see
30:20
Speaker 1: Jordan's career rather than Lebron's. That makes sense. And I
30:24
Speaker 1: think kids, I say kids because a lot of the
30:27
Speaker 1: players who covered to me are kids. Kids see Jordan's
30:32
Speaker 1: and they can't imagine that any player who played in
30:35
Speaker 1: the nineties would be as good as the guys they're
30:39
Speaker 1: seeing now because they see Lebron way. That to me,
30:43
Speaker 1: I was I was a huge Carolina fan when Jordan
30:46
Speaker 1: played there. I started following him when he got there.
30:49
Speaker 1: It was more because a friend of mine was a
30:51
Speaker 1: fan of theirs, and then I watched Jordan's as he
30:54
Speaker 1: came up. I didn't love him in the NBA the
30:57
Speaker 1: way I did at Carolina just because I was a
31:00
Speaker 1: big Seattle SuperSonics fan. I followed my team rather than
31:03
Speaker 1: the player. But the dominance that Jordan's had over the league,
31:08
Speaker 1: and the one area that I don't think Lebron or
31:12
Speaker 1: anybody in the NBA now matches maybe anybody in sports,
31:16
Speaker 1: was the feeling of inevitability when your team was playing
31:23
Speaker 1: the Bulls and the Sonics team in which was my team,
31:28
Speaker 1: Gary Peyton, Shawn Camp, Delas Tramp, Percy Hawkins, a whole
31:32
Speaker 1: bunch that was a great team. Watching it, there was
31:38
Speaker 1: a feeling on my part of Jordan can figure out
31:41
Speaker 1: way to pull this out. It felt in every that
31:43
Speaker 1: was a great Bulls team. It was the seventy two
31:46
Speaker 1: in team. I think it was seventy one with I
31:49
Speaker 1: would guess most fans of the Jazz, most fans of
31:53
Speaker 1: the teams they beat in the first three Pete the
31:55
Speaker 1: Laker have to beat the Lakers in ninety one. I
31:58
Speaker 1: think that their first I guess is most hardcore fans
32:02
Speaker 1: of teams that were playing them had the same feeling
32:05
Speaker 1: of inevitability of more my team's great. I wish they
32:09
Speaker 1: were great in another era, because he's gonna win it somehow,
32:12
Speaker 1: and I'm not sure anybody else has ever matched that.
32:15
Speaker 1: All Right, if you liked the ozone podcast, subscribe on
32:19
Speaker 1: whatever podcast channels it is you listen to. Thank you
32:23
Speaker 1: to Joe Fortunao for making this sound better than I am,
32:26
Speaker 1: thanks to Dave the Campus for making me sound better
32:28
Speaker 1: than I am, and thanks to me for not being
32:30
Speaker 1: as good as I am. So that'll do it for
32:33
Speaker 1: this week's o Zone podcast, and we'll talk to you
32:34
Speaker 1: next week. Ye