Latest / The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network / The O-Zone Podcast | Abdullah Talks Week 5 Heroics, "Belief Over Perception" Mindset

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The O-Zone Podcast | Abdullah Talks Week 5 Heroics, "Belief Over Perception" Mindset · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: The Ozone.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Welcome to The Ozone Podcast with Jaguars Senior Writer.
• 0:13
  Speaker 3: John Osher.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: All right, welcome to this week's Ozone Podcast. We're at
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: The Grove in Watford, United Kingdom. I'm here today with
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: somebody who Jaguars fans this week have gotten to know better,
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: running back Amir Abdullah. First of all, thank you for
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: doing this in a busy week at The Grove.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: No problem at all.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Obviously, first question, you've answered it probably a million times
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: this week. The return on Sunday, we were talking right
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: before we came on. You've been involved with big returns,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: big moments, but maybe nothing quite like that.
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, just the term of events that led up to
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: it is unbelievable.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: You know, we take the lead, Parker Washington, big catch.
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: Then they take the lead on a long drive and
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: a field goal. And there's only eight seconds left, no timeouts.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: This typical situation, you're like, man, it's probably over for us.
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: So for us to lean on our special teams unit
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: in those last two plays to get it done is unbelievable.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: One of the things about your story that's cool is
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: how much you understand the league after 12 years. There
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: was some luck involved with the Jaguars win the other day,
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: but I maintain in that situation, You also need guys
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: who are making plays and ready and aware in the moment.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: How special was that play in that regard of, hey,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: you had the opportunity and everybody made the play in
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: the moment that was necessary?
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, they say everything happens for a reason.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: And I really think the ball came to me for
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: the reason to make that play because I've seen so
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: many different situations in the NFL from just a clock
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: management standpoint that I feel like I was most prime
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: to make the play to get us in field goal
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: range and understand that, okay, this guy's on your back,
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: get down so we can potentially let Cam Little go
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: out there and win it for us. And it's just
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: crazy because you visualize things like that so much and
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: you find yourself in situations where maybe you have a
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: timeout or you don't have a timeout and you practice
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: them and you try to make game reality. And then
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: when it comes up, it's like, wow, this is the
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: moment that we practiced But it's.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Still a little different than what you practice always, right?
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it is.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: There's still some adapting yet.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you still got to make that play.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: You still got to make that play.
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: And I think it's just a testament to all the
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: guys on the team who are ready to just do
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: their job that much better in that moment. You know,
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: you practice in the same schemes. But to strain, to
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: make sure you get the right kickouts and the right
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: leverage for me to have an opportunity. You know, some
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: guys aren't ready for that moment, but everyone, all 11
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: were on that play.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: I want to get into your story here in a minute,
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: but one final question on the return. I think a
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: lot of people can never imagine being in that situation
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: because most people don't get the opportunity. But as you're
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: going out there, what's going through your mind? Are you detailed, task-oriented?
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: Do you understand the moment? Or just what is your focus?
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Really, you go through your checklist.
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: We kind of had some things that we saw from
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: a scouting standpoint of what direction they were kicking.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: So when they came out, I was like, okay, he's
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: set up to kick it.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: So you had an idea there was a chance.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I knew there was a chance.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: I thought he was going to kick it out or,
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: at worst, probably put the ball on the ground. So really,
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: I went through my checklist. Like I said, I saw
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: how the kicker was lined up. I was like, all right,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: he's probably going to kick it my way. So I
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: started to cheat up to see maybe he may put
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: it on the ground. But once he hung it up,
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: It goes through, all right, what's the return? How can
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: I set this up best for my guys to be
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: in the right leverage? So you just go down the checklist,
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: and then boom, you get to the moment of like, okay,
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: I did everything I can, and now it's open.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Go make the play.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Is it going too fast? Because obviously I've never returned
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: a kick. So is it going too fast in the
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: moment to realize, like once you get to the 50,
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: are you thinking, hey, we might have it? Or is
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: it just going too fast and you don't realize it?
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Until you're on the ground looking.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Up at the clock.
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: No, in that situation, I was looking at the clock
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: once I made the kick or miss. And I made
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: the kick or miss.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: I looked up. I saw it was about three seconds.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: It just ticked to two.
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: And I could feel the one, which is the guy
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: in position on the kickoff team, retracing on me. So
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: I could have been like, forget it. I'm going to
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: try to hit the gas all the way and just.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: try to go score, but if he dives and gets
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: my legs, we'll be having a much different conversation, or
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: probably not a conversation at all right now. So for
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: me to kind of feel that on my back, I
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: was like, all right, I just saw we're down two seconds,
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: let me try to get down. I felt like if
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: we could just get close to the 50-yard line, Cam
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: Little's done miraculous things before.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: Gotcha. What kind of, I mean, it's already a good team,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: so you didn't need that play to have confidence in
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: this building. But what does that kind of play do
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: to the mood? Do you still feel it going on
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: in the week, if you follow me?
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Definitely.
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: I think it's just compounding on things that we've been
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: building since the spring, really. And it started to come
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: together in camp, and now as the season's kind of
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: slowly coming together, you just see the resolve of this team.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: And I think the confidence in us overcoming is that
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: much more confident now after you go through and you
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: win a game like that in the last eight seconds,
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: seeing that everyone even, you know, the special teams unit
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: is willing to go out there and make plays. I
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: think guys who are mainly defensive players or mainly offensive
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: players now see, like, man, if I just do my 111th,
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: we got a shot.
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: Amazingly enough, the return might not be the coolest or
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: most interesting part of your story. To me, the fact
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: that you, year 12, playing at a high level, got
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: captain votes, it may not seem unusual to you, but
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: it's an unusual NFL story. I guess my first question is,
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: this offseason, what made it feel like a connection to
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: go to Jacksonville?
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: Really, just Coach Liam. You know, he was straight up
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: with me. He told me I can come in, I
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: have an opportunity to make an impact. And, you know,
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: year 12, as you put it, not a lot of
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: coaches are that personable, you know, with you. You know,
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: they kind of just call you agent, you know, you
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: come in, you sign a contract, and that's just that.
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: But Liam texted me directly, you know, and that to
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: me was a sign that, you know, I was wanted,
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: I was appreciated, and my value was going to be
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: considered in a lot of situations. And I think that
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: role has continued to fill itself out as the season
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: goes on. So I think just the connection with him
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: started the whole thing. And then when I got in
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: the locker room and was around the running back room
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: with Tootin, Chris, you know, LaQuint, Jamari, those guys, they
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: feel like brothers now. So, you know, every day I'm
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: just so thankful that I did sign with Jacksonville because
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: I meshed very well with the squad.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: You've been around the league long enough to understand it
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: and to see a subtlety vibe of a building. What
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: was your first impression, maybe not even first impression, but
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: overall impression of this franchise? It's been such a turnaround
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: even before you got here. What is the thing that
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: is making it feel like it feels if you follow
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: me because there is a special feeling here right.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: Now yeah i think everyone understands that they're a glue
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: guy you hear this term all the time he's a
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: glue guy he's a glue guy keeps the team together
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: but everyone kind of walks around the building with that
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: perspective that they're the one that's holding it together so
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: everyone is very detailed with their job no matter who's
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: the janitor or someone working in athletic training staff or
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: obviously a player on the team everyone kind of takes
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: the mentality of i'm the glue guy I'm the guy
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: that just has to keep my job as precise as
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: possible to keep the whole structure together. And I think
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: that type of selflessness allows everyone to go out and
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: make plays when they're called upon.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: So where does that start? Is that Liam? Is that just,
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, it all comes from the top?
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: I think that's honestly more player-led. I think it's more player-led. Obviously,
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: James has done a good job getting the personnel together.
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: But as players, we understand that I'm only going to
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: be as good as the guy next to me. So
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: let me make sure I do my job to such
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: a high degree that if he doesn't do his job
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: to the same standard, it's going to be uncomfortable and
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: it's going to show up on film where it's like,
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: Oh man, all 10 are doing it besides you. And
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: then you got to kind of elevate your game. And
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: I think everyone on this team or who's been building,
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: you know, in this program for a while, they're hungry
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: for success and they understand that they've been up and down.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: They've been, and they've seen all the different adversity that's
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: come with this league.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: And, um, when you have that kind of experience and
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: you start to taste the systematic or routine of like how,
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: what it takes to become a winner, you can kind
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: of like build a culture very fast.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: Do you appreciate that? Because as you know, that doesn't
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: happen everywhere.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: It doesn't.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: As a 12th year guy, I hate to keep bringing
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: that up, but you've been around long enough to see it.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: Do you appreciate that more than maybe you would have
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: as a rookie? Oh, 100%.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: Because I've been on teams with a bunch of talent
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: where it wasn't necessarily about what's best for the team
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: or making sure that you're doing your 111th, as we say,
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: your fraction of the job. When adversity hits, you lose
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: a game, or maybe you don't get the looks you
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: want that week. Some guys will regress in their intention
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: or how much effort they're given. You know, I see
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: guys like, you know, Trayvon Walker comes to mind. He's
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: a guy who's obviously first round, you know, first pick
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: in the draft, a guy who has all the right
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: to kind of like take plays on and off, but
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: he doesn't, you know, today he was making plays out
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: there and practicing just like how he's.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Going to play in the game. And to me, that's
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the glue man mentality.
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: That's like, he's doing his one 11th and it's encouraging
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: because I've been on a few teams where, A bunch
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: of talent, not the same intentionality, so it didn't come together.
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: So we're hoping just to replicate that every single time.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: It sounds like a little thing, but it's everything. It is.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: What did it mean for you? Liam's talked about it
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: a couple times. A new guy coming in relatively late,
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: and then you get captain votes. That had to be
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: a cool feeling.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: Man, that was so cool.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: I think it's actually probably the first time that I've
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: gotten captain votes on any team. And I think it
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: speaks more to just how comfortable I was with the
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: group of guys in the locker room. Sometimes you're the
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: new guy, you come in, you're kind of shy, you
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: don't know if you have the right to come in
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: and speak. But just how some of the young guys
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: leaned to me, looked up to me, and asked me
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: questions on the daily, it kind of opened me up
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: a little bit more personally. Usually I'm more quiet in
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: the locker room, but the minute I got in and
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: I saw what this team needed from me, which was leadership,
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: vocal leadership at that, and then also just my habits
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: and teaching guys how to take care of their body,
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: what they should and shouldn't be eating in times during
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: the season. It's something I really leaned into, and it
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: motivated me in a different personal and emotional space in
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: my life.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: How often in the offseason or ever do you beat
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: Parker Washington into the building?
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: You know, it was back and forth. It was back
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: and forth. I know during the training camp, we had
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: a thing going where I would get there before him,
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: he would get there before me. But I would say
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: it's about 50-50. I would say it's about 50-50. Me
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: and him both have very particular routines that take an
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: extended amount of time. And it's really cool. It's really
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: cool because he, in my opinion, he is a young guy.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: You know, he's still young. in his rookie contract.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: And to see him understanding right now a lot earlier
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: than I did when I.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: Was younger, how you start your.
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: Day is really, really important. And you see it now, man.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: He's playing high level football.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: And that's obviously people focus on that because it's a
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: cool part of the story. But that dedication to be
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: in there every morning like that is part of a
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: bigger picture for you. How long would you have been
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: in the league without applying that bigger picture?
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: Man, maybe five, six years tops, probably six years tops.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: And I think the dedication just taught me a bit
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: of stoicism and it taught me the ability to endure.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: You know, the season is about enduring. You know, you
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: can play good one week and then you got 16
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: more weeks. Who are you going to be every single day?
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: Because those are the habits that are going to come
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: out when the game is on the line. And I
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: kind of think it's ironic that you brought up Parker
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: and me in the same conversation because when you look
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: back to Sunday, those were two guys that made huge
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: plays in the game when the game was on the line.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: His one-hand catch on that slot fade ball against Tariq Woolen,
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: who's a fast, tall defender, is textbook. But I see
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: him working on body control and things like that. all
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: the time in the morning. And then for me, a
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: guy who didn't get many offensive snaps in that game,
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: but to come in late in the kickoff return that
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: I had kind of is a testament to my warm-up routine.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: I always keep myself fresh and ready to go.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: And when the ball came to me, I was able
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: to hit it at a certain speed that maybe most
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: people weren't expecting at that time, not being as.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: Warm in the game.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: So yeah, it's that routine, that daily preparation It's important
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: because it may just be one time that you can
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: put it on display.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: We talked on the way over, and I mentioned to
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: you that J.P. Shadrick, myself, who used to be with
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: the Jaguars, we were all at your pro day. And
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: it's sort of ironic. We were there for Randy Gregory. Yeah.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: And now 12 years later, I'm sitting here talking to you.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: What would you tell the kid who was at the
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: pro day, meaning you?
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: That version.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: Man, that's a great question.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: I would tell him to stay patient, stay humble, and
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: ask as many questions as you can to people who
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: are older than you, the coaching staff, the defensive coaching
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: staff specifically, so you can understand structure better. Just try
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: to understand conceptually why you're doing the things that you're doing.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: The more I play this game, the more I realize
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: that this game is more cerebral than it is physical.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: You know, you see a lot of the great defenders.
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: Like Luke Keekly who played this game that would be
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: calling out plays before the ball. The quarterback was even
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: in his cadence. You know, the same thing is true
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: for running backs. You know, now I look at a structure.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: We have a certain run scheme call. I can tell
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: you exactly where that run is going to hit before
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: we even snap the ball. And, you know, the quicker
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: you can learn that or build that type of understanding
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: as a young player, the better off you're going to
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: be in the long run.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: And that's, I guess, your general advice to young players.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: How quickly did you embrace that? Was it as a
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: rookie or did you learn that as you went along?
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: I learned that as I went along.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: Every year, every day you learn it.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: As a rookie, unfortunately, I had so much turnover in
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: my coaching staff that conceptually was changing.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: All the time.
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: So it was kind of hard for me to, like,
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: really concretely learn one, you know, conceptual offense. But it
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: wasn't until I got my second go at it in
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: Minnesota where I started to stay, you know, later, watch
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: more film, understand more defensive structure. And then that's when
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: the light bulb kind of went off. It's like, oh man,
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: I can actually see things before they happen and therefore
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: look like I'm physically superior when I'm actually just, you know,
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: seeing the future in a sense.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: I have a question written down here. It's belief over perception.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: And I think what I'm getting at with it is
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: if you sort of believed what people said in conventional wisdom,
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: you wouldn't be sitting here right now.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: Of course.
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: There's a belief in yourself, in your process, I guess
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: is what I'm getting at. Am I accurate in that,
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: first of all? And if so, how long did it
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: take you to develop that? Hey, I'm not going to
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: listen to people who say you can't play running back
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: because I'm an 11th-year guy. I'm going to do it and...
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: I've proven them wrong is the right thing, but you
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: know what I'm getting at?
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: I think belief over perception is beautifully put, honestly, when
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: you kind of capture my entire football career. And I
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: think that started for me really in high school. You know,
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: when I was in high school, I only had like
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: two running back offers. Everything else was at defensive back.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: Which is why you went to Nebraska.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Which is why I ended up at Nebraska.
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: And of course, I also love Bo Pelini as a coach,
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: so I wouldn't change a thing. But growing up in
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: SEC country, I wanted to go to Bama, Auburn, those schools.
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: I led the state in rushing. Still didn't get any
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: offers from Auburn or Alabama. So the perception was he
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: was too small. He didn't have the size. He didn't
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: have the metrics or whatnot.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: So you've always been.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: I've always been kind of doubted, a little underdog, if
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: you will. So I had a chip on my shoulder.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: But it was really just inner belief where I was
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: delusional in a healthy sense.
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: You know?
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: When people would tell me something, direct me, and I'll
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: just smile. I'm like, ah, you don't know what you're
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: talking about.
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: You know, bless you.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: You don't know what you're talking about. For 15, 16 years.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: And boom, every single time that belief was stronger than
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: a perception, I would go and do it. You know,
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: I went to Nebraska, and I'm the all-time yard leader
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: there now. Ended up being the second-round draft pick, you know.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: And now I'm playing 12 years later, and that belief always–
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: was stronger than a perception.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: And a willingness to play whatever role was asked. Didn't
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: necessarily need to be the leading guy as you've gotten older.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Of course.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: A role. So I'll close with this before we get
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: to something we call the Ozone 5. Why keep doing it?
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: You know, I mean, you've been doing it a long time,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: and it's hard. Like these things we're talking about with
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: you showing up before Parker, that's not easy. I'm not
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: getting up that early. Yeah. So why keep doing it?
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: I feel like I still have a lot to play for.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: For one, the game is changing, and that's the challenge
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: that I enjoy. The game changes, so it's something new
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: for you to kind of conquer. It's a new challenge
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: for you to go out there and prove to yourself
• 18:54
  Speaker 3: that I can play in this ever-adapting game. I was
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: telling the guys, when I first got in the league,
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: the kickoff rules were completely different. You can get a
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: running start. You start from way in the other 30
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: or 35. I don't even remember now.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: Right.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: You know, telling myself like, okay, I can still be
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: a good player in that format or I can still
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: be a good player in this more passing league. You know,
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: when I first got in the league, it was, you know,
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: the running backs were the focus, you know, and that's
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: kind of changed.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: And I love that challenge.
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: And then, and also I still just have fun with
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: the game, you know, and then ultimately the league still
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: sees value in me. You know, they still call me
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: and they still inquire. And for me, that's an honor,
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: you know, and, you know, the NFL doesn't last forever.
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: So I definitely want to maximize as much time as
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: I can.
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it should be an honor. It's very unusual and
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: a testament to your work. Last thing we do, we
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: call it the Ozone Five. It's five quick, fun questions.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: Best thing you've seen in London if you've been in
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: the city.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: City or here best thing I've seen in London probably
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: the Camden street market Camden street market it's just very
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: uniquely designed very multicultural I think they did a good
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: job blending street wear stores with food shops knick knack shops.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: It was beautiful Favorite international city?
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: Ooh, favorite international city.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: So far it's been London.
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: I'm definitely going to say London. I played in Berlin
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: last year. I wasn't a huge fan of Berlin.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: I would say London.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: Gotcha. Your best sport growing up other than football?
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: Oh, best sport growing up? Basketball.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: How good were you?
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: Oh, I was really good.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: I've never met an NFL player who wasn't.
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: Of course, everyone says it. Dude, I was a shooter,
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: three-point shooter, knockdown guy. If I wasn't vertically challenged, I honestly,
• 20:41
  Speaker 3: who knows? It would have been a toss up.
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: I got you. Your most influential teammate in 12 years
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: in the NFL.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: Ooh, most influential teammate. That is tough. I would probably
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: say Brandon Bolden.
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: When I played with him with the Las Vegas Raiders,
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: he is who I am now to that team. You know,
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: he was a veteran presence. We'll come in at running back,
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: make big plays, but was a special teams guru. You know,
• 21:05
  Speaker 3: he's a guy who was a great leader.
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: Um, What would you have done if you hadn't played football? Film.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: Okay. Directing, producing. I do that now outside of football,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: but that would have been the total focus.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: Is that the plan after?
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: Gotcha. What direction?
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: Producing, screenplay writing, and directing. I started off as a cinematographer,
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: so I was behind the camera, so, you know, director
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: of photography work.
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: Gotcha. Might have a job for you at Jaguars Media.
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: Hey, man.
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: I can't. It's above my pay grade to offer, but, man. Amir,
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: you're an absolute pleasure. I can't thank you enough. I
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: know this is a busy time to do this. Thank
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: you for joining the Ozone Podcast, and good luck moving forward.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: It was a pleasure.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you, buddy.