Latest / Inside the Charge / Inside The Charge - EP 9: Bills Safety Taylor Rapp Talks Health & Wellness and Inspiring AAPI Athletes

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Inside The Charge - EP 9: Bills Safety Taylor Rapp Talks Health & Wellness and Inspiring AAPI Athletes · Inside the Charge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome into inside the Charge. I'm Maddi Glab and today
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: we're going be on the field with Bills safety Taylor Rap.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Let's get into it all right, Taylor, thanks for sitting
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: down with us today. Appreciate the time. You guys are
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: back for Phase one off season workouts, which is always
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: fun to see everybody back in the building. But you
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: recently re signed with the Bills on a three year deal.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Why did you want to continue your career with the Bills.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think it just goes back to
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: last year free agency. I signed a one year deal,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: and you know, after spending four years with the Rams
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: and kind of just coming here on a one year
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: deal and kind of filling out the organization, the culture,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: and just trying to find the right fit.
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  Speaker 3: And I thought last year in free agency that it
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: was the right fit.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I was, uh, for forever grateful for
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  Speaker 2: for coming coming there last year and making decisions to
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: sign sign the one year last year, and you know,
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: I felt like I fit right in. You know, I
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  Speaker 2: fit the DNA of this organization, this culture, this locker room.
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  Speaker 2: You know, really really love it here, and uh, you know,
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: wanted to be a part of something special as well,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: and you know that's why I signed back here on
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  Speaker 2: a three year deal.
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  Speaker 1: There's a lot of special guys on this team, like yourself.
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  Speaker 1: You say, you fit the defense and the DNA. The
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: opportunities this season rise as well without some safeties like
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Jordan Poyer and and Mike Hyde is still unsure if
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: he will return. How do you view those opportunities that
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: you have this season?
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  Speaker 2: Uh? Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously, like you said,
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  Speaker 2: there's gonna be a lot more opportunities for me individually.
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  Speaker 3: You know.
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  Speaker 2: First, I just want to say, you know, I love
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Micah and and Poe. You know, those those are my
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: two brothers. Like I can't say enough good things about
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: those guys. Man, Like when I came in last year
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  Speaker 2: on a one year deal. You know, those both those
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  Speaker 2: guys took me under their wing right away and you know,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: love me like a brother teammate all that.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's there.
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  Speaker 2: There's two of the most you know, special human beings
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  Speaker 2: teammates that I've ever spent my time around. You know,
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  Speaker 2: just the way they go about their work, go about
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  Speaker 2: their day, go about the preparation, go about the practice,
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  Speaker 2: go about you know. Uh you know film, study meetings, walkthroughs, practice,
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  Speaker 2: you know how they handle their bodies. You know, their
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  Speaker 2: family men to you know, the husbands. They are just
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  Speaker 2: the special human beings that they both are. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's I couldn't be more grateful, like I said, to
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: come there, come here last year on the one year
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  Speaker 2: deal last year free agency. You know I wouldn't have
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  Speaker 2: you know, uh changed changed it for the world. I
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: would to I tell people all the time, you know,
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  Speaker 2: free agency didn't pan out the way I wanted to
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  Speaker 2: last year, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: wouldn't trade it for the biggest contract, biggest deal last year,
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  Speaker 2: just because of the invaluable experiences that I was able
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: to learn last year, you know, battling through reversity, you know,
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  Speaker 2: stuff on the field, stuff off the field, you know,
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  Speaker 2: just made me a better person, better human being, better
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  Speaker 2: football players.
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  Speaker 3: So uh, forever grateful for those two. You know, love
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  Speaker 3: those guys.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I can't say enough great things about those guys.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, like you said, it's a lot more,
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  Speaker 2: a lot more opportunities for me, and you know I'm
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: ready to step up to the plate and excited for
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: the opportunities for sure.
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  Speaker 1: I know a lot of fans are gonna miss Jordan
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  Speaker 1: and Micah, but they're also really excited for what you
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: can do and what Mike Edwards can do. And it
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  Speaker 1: wasn't just Jordan Poyer. The Bills lost a lot of
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: veteran players in free agency this season. Phase one of offs.
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  Speaker 1: Off season workouts are are a great time to to
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  Speaker 1: team build and get to know each other. How do
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  Speaker 1: you team build during this time?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know, the coach is talking about
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  Speaker 2: all the time, and you know, really this phase one.
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  Speaker 2: The goals of phase one is obviously get bigger, faster,
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  Speaker 2: stronger in the weight room, but also in this phase
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  Speaker 2: one also learn to football and you know, get get
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  Speaker 2: our you know football iq up. But really, in this
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  Speaker 2: phase one, I think that the most important thing is,
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  Speaker 2: you know, everyone getting back in the building and really
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  Speaker 2: building the culture, building the team, getting to know everyone,
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  Speaker 2: getting to know you know, all the new faces. We
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  Speaker 2: got a lot of new faces, staff, players, locker room.
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  Speaker 2: Really just getting to know build this culture, build this
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  Speaker 2: team from ground up. Because we're in this part of
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  Speaker 2: the phase one, we need to build the base and
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  Speaker 2: you know, build the culture that everything is gonna you know,
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  Speaker 2: drive off of for the rest of the season. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, the biggest most important thing in this Phase
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  Speaker 2: one is you know, everyone getting together, you know, you know, connecting. Actually,
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  Speaker 2: tonight we're going to uh, you know, coach Joe Dana
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  Speaker 2: Safeties Coach's, He's hosting a dB dinner tonight. So that's
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  Speaker 2: just you know, DB's. They've had this tradition for many,
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  Speaker 2: many years. I mean a lot longer going before last year.
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  Speaker 2: But you know they go out to dinner during the
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  Speaker 2: season every Thursday. So it's just really building that family
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  Speaker 2: atmosphe here and you know, building the culture here.
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  Speaker 3: So you know, it's that's that's what Phase one's really well.
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  Speaker 1: Phase one is also about getting your body back to
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  Speaker 1: where it needs to be ahead of OTAs and mandatory
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  Speaker 1: mini camp and training camp. I know you guys do
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  Speaker 1: a great job of of when you're in the off season,
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  Speaker 1: truly in the off season wherever you're living at of
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  Speaker 1: working out and staying in shape. But I feel like
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  Speaker 1: you take it to the next level. What does health
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  Speaker 1: and wellness mean to you?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I wouldn't say i'd take you to them.
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  Speaker 2: I think everyone's different. You know, everyone everyone feels like
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  Speaker 2: they they know what they got to do in the
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  Speaker 2: off season to be prepared for the season, get them
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  Speaker 2: ready for the season. And you know, I think that's
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  Speaker 2: just part of my mentality my whole life. I feel
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  Speaker 2: like I've had that underdog mentality of just outworking everyone,
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  Speaker 2: just knowing to put in the extra work. And it's
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  Speaker 2: really like that, the underdog mentality is just like Taylor
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  Speaker 2: rat versus the world, you know, and having that that
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  Speaker 2: mindset and every everything that I do is intentional in
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  Speaker 2: terms of my work, the way I eat, the way
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  Speaker 2: I take care of myself, the way I take care
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  Speaker 2: of my body, the way I'm.
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  Speaker 3: Recovering, the way I'm sleeping.
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  Speaker 2: So everything's calculated, very intentional, methodical, and it just goes
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  Speaker 2: back to that mindset of you know, just putting in
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  Speaker 2: that extra work and you know there's always can be
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  Speaker 2: someone trying to outwork you and stuff like that. So
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  Speaker 2: it really just goes back to that mentality and mindset.
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  Speaker 1: For sure, I want to dig deeper into that a
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  Speaker 1: little bit because you hear about players who make it
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  Speaker 1: to the NFL, and you make it to the NFL
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  Speaker 1: based on your skill set, but you stay in the
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  Speaker 1: NFL based on the one to two percent whatever you
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  Speaker 1: want to put on that on what you do outside
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  Speaker 1: of the field when it comes to the mental health,
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to what you can do to your
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  Speaker 1: body and taking care of it, what you put in
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  Speaker 1: your body, how do you take care of your body?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that's that would be a long answer.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, Taylor.
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  Speaker 3: I mean I think I've think.
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  Speaker 2: It just goes back to like just being mindful and
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  Speaker 2: very aware of like you said, what you're putting in
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  Speaker 2: your body and everything.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we're we're out here.
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  Speaker 2: Like I always tell people too, Like my older brother,
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  Speaker 2: you know, he played sports his whole life. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he played football and all that stuff. But like I
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  Speaker 2: feel like us as NFL players were like less than
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  Speaker 2: one percent tile where our job is to actually like
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  Speaker 2: stay as healthy and take care of our body, Like
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  Speaker 2: we're blessed and grateful enough to like not many people
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  Speaker 2: like office job office desk ninety nine percent of the population.
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  Speaker 2: They have to work their own job, but then they
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  Speaker 2: work a whole nother job of going to the gym
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  Speaker 2: and taking care of their bodies and being mindful of
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  Speaker 2: what they're eating and stuff. But I feel like we're
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  Speaker 2: blessed because it's all in one. Our job is to
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  Speaker 2: make sure our bodies and our mind, body, soul, everything
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  Speaker 2: in our bodies is functioning at the highest level. Because
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  Speaker 2: that's like our bodies are our money makers, you know,
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  Speaker 2: that's how we that's how we get paid, that's how
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  Speaker 2: we that's how we pay for our you know, take
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  Speaker 2: care of our families all that. So it just goes
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  Speaker 2: back to that, you know, when you look at it
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  Speaker 2: that from that perspective, it's like our bodies are high
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  Speaker 2: like race cars, you know, and everything you put inside
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  Speaker 2: of it, you're feeding your engine. You're feeding your high
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  Speaker 2: race car engine. And so when you look at that perspective,
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  Speaker 2: it's like, why not everything you do, every minute of
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  Speaker 2: the day, every decision you do, everything you put in
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  Speaker 2: your body, how you take care of yourself, every decision
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  Speaker 2: you make throughout the day, should be geared towards the
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  Speaker 2: end goal of making sure that your your body and
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  Speaker 2: your engine is operating at the highest level.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds like you're very disciplined in how you take
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  Speaker 1: care of your body, and you know that that piece
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  Speaker 1: of cake can look good. Sometimes when you're thinking about
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  Speaker 1: all of that, maybe it's a little bit easier. So
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  Speaker 1: what does the average plate look like for you?
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  Speaker 3: Uh?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I definitely get into you know, I
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  Speaker 2: definitely indulge in in you know, my my wife, she
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  Speaker 2: loves her sweets.
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  Speaker 3: Like I'm sorry, I was sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't mean to call my wife out like that.
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  Speaker 1: You got to call yourself out too, yeah, yeaheah, for sure.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I gotta, I gotta. I got a sweet
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  Speaker 2: tooth too. But like you know, I mean, I think
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  Speaker 2: it's all about balance to like moderation. You know, you
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  Speaker 2: hear all the time everyone talks about like a eighty
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  Speaker 2: twenty rule. I would say I'd probably follow like closer
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  Speaker 2: to like a maybe ninety ten and a little more strict.
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  Speaker 2: But I would tell you, like two years ago, I
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  Speaker 2: went down this huge rabbit hole, and I think I
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: was like over restrictive in terms of you try to
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: be too perfect, where you're driving your mind absolutely insane.
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  Speaker 2: It's not sustainable, like your your mind is, you're driving
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  Speaker 2: yourself crazy. And I think that was I was really
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: going down that road two years ago. That was my
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: last year with the RAM, and like you know, I remember,
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: like I would be just trying to be so perfect.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: But I was driving myself crazy, you know, because that
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: was my last year before heading into free agency, and
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  Speaker 2: like you know, there's a lot of research and literature
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  Speaker 2: about you know, injuries, injury.
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  Speaker 3: Rates and you know, nutrition, sleep all that.
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  Speaker 2: So like it got so bad, like I was taking
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: I got I got two dogs, Allie and Maya. It
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: got so bad, like at the end of the season,
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  Speaker 2: I wanted to like get as much.
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  Speaker 3: I was shooting for like fourteen hours of sleep.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I know, So I was like, yeah, I
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: was taking I was taking my girl dog Maya, and
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  Speaker 2: we were going in the guest bedroom and sleeping going
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: at like seven eight eight pm, trying to like sleep
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  Speaker 2: fourteen hours through through the night.
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  Speaker 3: And I was just I just remember that that year.
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  Speaker 2: I just it was it was so crazy, Like I
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: got so crazy that it wasn't sustainable, and like I
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  Speaker 2: kind of I had to take at that back too,
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  Speaker 2: because that that like hurt my relationship with my wife too,
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  Speaker 2: because like obviously, like you know, that's like that's my
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: other half. But like it was tough, and so like
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  Speaker 2: just learning from that experience, you know, it was it
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  Speaker 2: was it was definitely you know, you always learn from
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  Speaker 2: experiences and stuff like that, everything you go through. So
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  Speaker 2: I wouldn't I wouldn't change that too, because I think
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  Speaker 2: our you know, our relationship is is better than ever
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  Speaker 2: now because last year when I came here, uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I really realized that I can't do that. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's not it's not good for myself, it's not good
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  Speaker 2: for my mental health, it's not good for.
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  Speaker 3: My relationship, it's not good for really everything.
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  Speaker 2: So like last year, I really found that that balance
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  Speaker 2: and you know where you know, you you don't have
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  Speaker 2: to be so so perfect. And I think that was
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: you know, just my mindset growing up, my whole life,
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  Speaker 2: of that extra work. It's always like I really adopted
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  Speaker 2: this past offseason too, that like work smarter, not harder
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  Speaker 2: and less, it's more sometimes you know, and not you're
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  Speaker 2: not killing your body where you can get injured, you're
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: doing extra work stuff like that. So last year I
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: really found some really good balance too. So long long
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: story short, like I definitely indulge into, you know, some
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: good meals that you know, you know, help help the
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  Speaker 2: mind and you know, help the soul, feed the soul.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, I definitely eat clean, you know, at
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  Speaker 2: least ninety percent of time throughout throughout the week.
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  Speaker 1: It's easy to go off the deep end in terms
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  Speaker 1: of your health if you're committed to your health, like
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  Speaker 1: a lot of people in this world are. I would
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  Speaker 1: put myself in that category two. And it's easy to
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  Speaker 1: become a crazy person quickly. And you have to learn
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  Speaker 1: from those mistakes. Like you said, when you look at
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: how you take care of yourself right now, how do
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: you see the payoff from the eating habits to the
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: sleeping habits, to the working out habits. How has this
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: benefited you in your NFL career that you've been playing
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: in since twenty nineteen.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think I think that's that's that's
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  Speaker 2: a tough question too for for certain people, because you know,
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  Speaker 2: if you ask like a you know, just an average player,
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: you know, and you say, like, oh, can you feel
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  Speaker 2: all these benefits or can you feel like you eating
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  Speaker 2: better or you know, you feel better out on the
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: field because you ate this, you know, it's it's tough
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  Speaker 2: to like get that actual, like concrete evidence of of
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  Speaker 2: how you feel. And you know, I felt like i've
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  Speaker 2: for the majority of my life, probably within the last
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: few years, I kind of went a little crazy, But
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: for the majority of my life, I think I've ate
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: pretty clean. And you know, I definitely learned in college
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: to how to feel your body, you know, with with
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: the high demands of you know.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: Our workouts, our practices all that stuff throughout the years.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, I've definitely learned, and I felt like
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: i've kind of I just probably every year or so.
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  Speaker 2: There's little areas and that you can you know, up
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  Speaker 2: the ante and and up to you know, take it
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: up a notch and stuff like that.
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  Speaker 3: And like I'm huge into you know, like.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: These little bio hacks and little stuff like you know,
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: heard of red light therapy, Like I have a big
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: red light panel at home, so I do like they
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: got a big red light bed here, you know, just
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: just like little little life hacks like that, like little
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: bio hacking. As you do, I guess now you know
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: you're able to you know, afford those things and stuff
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: like that.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: True, you know, like you like you said too.
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  Speaker 2: That one and two percentile of stuff that you can
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: gain the extra slight edge on your opponents and stuff
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  Speaker 2: like that. Like I'm obsessed with that stuff, and like
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: sometimes a little too obsessed, but I have gotten a
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: lot better for sure.
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: What what are your non negotiables? What are what are
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: the things that Taylor Rap is doing?
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: What I think sleep?
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  Speaker 2: I need at least eight eight eight hours every night,
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: Like if I'm sleeping less than eight hours, Like that's
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: another thing too. I drive myself crazy.
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  Speaker 3: I used to.
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  Speaker 2: I used to have the or ring you know, you
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: know that tracker, and I had to stop because it
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: would drive myself crazy.
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  Speaker 3: I would wake up, I would wake up in the
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: morning and I.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Was like, oh, seven a half hours of sleep or
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: it's like it gave me a bad sleep score, and
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: I would be like mess up my day. Yeah, So
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: I like I had to stop that. But like I
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: just get so obsessed with that. But like I I
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: would definitely say like sleep and then probably just like
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: eating clean and like good nutrient dense meals throughout the
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: throughout the throughout the week, and like I cook a
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: lot on my own and stuff like that, Like you'll
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: see me, like guys make fun of me all the time.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: Like during the season, I bring in I bring in
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: so yeah, during the season Wednesdays and Thursdays, I so
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: I like meal prep on Tuesdays are off days, which
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: is like kind of like a Sunday for I guess
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: normal population. So like I cook up a bunch of meat,
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: some like sweet potatoes and stuff like that. Bring I
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: put them like glass tubleware, bring them in here every morning,
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: put them in the fridge. And then right after practice
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: first thing. You guys see me all the time, you
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: guys doing barefoot walking gets some just a little decompression
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: just you know, they say walking after you eat too,
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: helps a little digestion. So just trying to just trying to,
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: you know, time out, time out of your days and
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: make it make it as as fishing as possible. And
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: I mean the capter here too is great. I just
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: I think I'm just such a like I'm crazy so
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: icho that.
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: Like I need my own I need my own things sometimes.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: And you know, to know that I'm like dialed in
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: and stuff like and like it gives me peace of
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: mind too during the week.
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: And like just knowing that like all that.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: It's just like you know, watching film, you knowing that
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: you put in all that extra work. You feel good
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: on Sunday when you're out there with teammates and you're
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: commuting communicating with all your teammates. You know exactly what's
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: going on. You know, you know what's your what your
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: opponent's going to do. It sets your mind at ease
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: when you know you have done all the extra work
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: and all the stuff that you know will get your
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: body to feel as good on Sunday as possible.
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: So like I do it.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: You know, it helps my my mind set at ease
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: for sure on Sundays and throughout the week.
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: I think, all that's so interesting. You mentioned biohacking and
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: red light therapy. What else are you into right now?
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: I mean I think I think one thing that I
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: really got into this off past off season was like
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: watching you.
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: Crazy, like watching watching the sunrise.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: Okay, watching the sunset every single day because if you
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: just go back to our ancestors and stuff, and like,
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: how would our ancestors know what time it is or
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: how how would they know?
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: Because the sun sets your Cicadian rhythm and so.
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: Like, if you are you able to watch the sunrise
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: every morning, get that that morning sun in your.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: Eyes, which you don't always get in Buffalo.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's tough. But I was out, I was out
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: on the West coast.
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: I was out on the West coast, and then I
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: was out in Hawaii. Took a trip to Hawaii with
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: my brother and my best friend that I played in
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: college with, and I like made it a thing where
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: all three of us, like we had to watch every
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: sunrise and watch every sunset, get it get in her eyes.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: And I swear both of those guys and I knew
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: already that I was going to get the best best
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: night of sleep throughout the whole trip. And like there's
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: obviously a lot of other things that tie into that.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: Like obviously Hawaii, like again, you know, some good sun
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: on you making tired, you know, I was working out,
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: eating good food stuff like that, and so like that
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: obviously tied into sleeping well. But this past offseason, I
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: really really got big into watching the sunrises, watching the sunsets.
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: Like I swear I got my wife into watching sunsets too,
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: And like she says, she has.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: Never slept better when she watches the sunsets, you.
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: Know, because it's actually sunrise and sunset actually has like
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: the red light therapy has the most red light in
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: the sun sunrise early morning and then sunset too, and
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: so just getting like the sun rise and sunset in
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: your eyes, it just it tells your brain. Oh it's
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: time to wake up, like it's time to go to sleep,
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: stuff like that. So, like you know, there's a lot
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: of other science that goes into it, but like that
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: was just one thing that like I really got into
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: this past offseason, and like it was it's it's amazing.
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: Like if I give one life hack to someone for
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: the rest of life, is okay.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: Watch to watch every sunrise and watch every sunset of
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: every every day.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: If it's funny, I might have to give it a shot.
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you need.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: To start your own health podcast with all these tips
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: and hacks. I love it all right, let's switch gears.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: May is Asian American Pacific Islander month. Your mom is
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: from Shanghai. So how do you live out your Chinese
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: culture every day?
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: I mean I think it's just every day just you know,
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: kind of just going back to your roots and you know,
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: where where my mom came from, and you know, my
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: heritage and just trying to you know, pay homage to
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: to my heritage and you know what what she's gone
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: through to to get where she was and to get
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: where you know, my uh, you know, to get her
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: family to where where it was, and you know, it
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: just means a lot to me because both both my grandparents,
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: my my grandpa actually passed away this this past year,
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: but both of them, you know, they they're my my
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: my mom's parents.
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: They don't they don't really speak any English.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: They've been over here, you know, helping raise my brother,
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: my brother and I, and so you know, just the
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: relationship I had with them, and you know all the
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: little uh stuff that we did growing up as kids too,
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: you know, uh to uh you know, appreciate all the
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: heritage and you know, all the Chinese roots and stuff
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: like that, and you know, it just means a lot
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: to me because that's you know, it's it's also you know,
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: in the in the NFL and really all all sports,
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: there's there's not many Asian Asian Americans. So you know,
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: it was I think it was tough for me growing
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: up because, uh, you know, as a as a kid,
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: you always want, you know, when you when you want
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: to play in the big leagues or in the NFL
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: or stuff, you always want to look at an athlete
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: that you can identify with or connect with you. And
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: so like it was, it was tough for me because
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: I I really didn't have anyone like Asian to look
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: up to in the NFL or MLB or really any
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: any uh national uh sports professional sports.
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: So like that was tough for me.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: So like me being able to be that beacon for
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: little kids growing up that that were in my position
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: growing up, that they can actually look up to me
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: and be like, hey, like that that guy looks like me,
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: you know, like I want to be like him, mom,
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: you know so I really think that's like, you know,
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: it was it was kind of my calling, you know
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: when I first got into the league, and like, you know,
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: just just being able to be that beacon for the
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: younger kids too, you know, the younger Asian American kids
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: that were in my position growing up, to have that
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: you know, role model and beacon for for for them,
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: to to give them hope, you know that hey, like as.
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: A matter what we look like, you know, we can
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: get there. You know. So it's that means a lot
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: to me.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: I love that. What are some things that you have
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: done to be a resource for those younger Asian Americans?
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think a lot of them, you know,
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: I try to be as active as possible on social
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: media and Instagram and stuff, and a lot of them you.
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: Know, reach out to me, you know, and I try to.
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: I try to take time to you know, lend out
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: that hand to them and you know, give them tips
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: here and there, and you know, be be able to
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: give them some.
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: Inspiration and some words of encouragement and stuff like that.
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: And you know, but I think it starts with you know, also,
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: like you know, the biggest thing is, you know, I
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: feel like I got you know, all all the Asian population,
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: all the Asian Americans like on my back when I
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: go out there on Sundays and like, you know, to
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: perform well and play the best I can. You know,
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: I feel like I got like a lot of pressure
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: and like all those all those kids on my back
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: because like my success might help out them and and
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: and be able to you know, open up more opportunities,
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: open up more doors for them and stuff like that.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: They're also cheering you on too. You've got those people
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: cheering you on, which is awesome. You have two adopted dogs,
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: one from China and one from Korea if I'm correct.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: How did that come about?
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: I mean I think I think it just goes back
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: to you know, kind of my heritage too, and you know, uh,
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: just being able to rescue both of them from Asia,
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: you know, the first one, Allie, from from China, and
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: and you know, just being able to give them a
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: better life and stuff like that.
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: I feel like my wife and I, you know, we've
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: we love, We grew.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: Up with dogs our whole lives, and you know, we
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: always knew that we we would want a dog eventually.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: And I think, you know, I was, I think my
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: my whole first rookie year, I was like.
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: Begging my wife like, hey, come on, come on, let's
• 23:55
  Speaker 3: let's let's come on, let's get our first dog.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: And you know, I think this organization, we've been following
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: Buddies Buddies so they like specialize in saving saving dogs
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: from from the meat trade over in China and South Korea,
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: and so we've been following them for a while. And
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: I think the second year, going in my second year,
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: you know, I finally convinced my wife, you know, to
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: to kind of apply to the organization and you know,
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: see if we can you know, help rescue one and
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: get our first one. And you know, we we were
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: able to. I was able to convince my wife and
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: we were able to make it happen. And man, I
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: just those those two are our first one.
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: Alie.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: He's he's like attached to attached to my wife at
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: the hip, like she doesn't he doesn't go anywhere. Yeah,
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: best friends like well, no, Maya the girl that she
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: she loves me girl for sure. So yeah, no, it's
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: they've been they've been amazing. You know, they've been probably
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: the two the best things that's ever happened to my
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: wife and I and you know, we love them and
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: we do everything together. They're basically like our little kids
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: and everything. So they're they're awesome.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: You've been away for a few months. What have you
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: done this offseason?
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: Uh, just probably went out to the West Coast home base,
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: like in California.
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah, nice, nice Buffalo.
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: You guys get lucky, right right right, you.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: Know, just kind of kind of spending some you know,
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: the first few weeks. I think after the season is
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: always tough. You know, kind of get into a rhythm
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: and obviously you're you know, grieving about how the season
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: ended and stuff like that and just kind of getting
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: a rhythm. But I think really in the off season
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: so so short, so you really just trying to spend
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: more mindful time, you know, especially my wife and I
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: because really like during the season, we don't we don't
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: really get to spend a lot of a lot of
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: great time together. Yeah, you know, we maybe you know,
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: we started to think and we go out to dinner
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: on Friday nights and stuff, and you know, we were
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: able to get out of the facility early on Friday
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: and we were able to spend the afternoon and night
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: evening with our with our families and stuff. So, you know,
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: just just being more mindful and you know, intentional about
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: spending good quality time together, you know, between me and
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: my wife.
• 26:19
  Speaker 3: And then we shot up to Washington to my family.
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: All my families up in Washington still, so her family's
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: up in Washington still too.
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: So just we shot up.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: There for a long weekend for a week and so
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: and we just spent a lot of time with family,
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: friends and you know, ate some good food, spent a
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: lot of time connecting and reconnecting. And I went out
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: to Hawaii for a week or two with my with
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: my brother and best friend. And that's like we've been
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: doing that trip, all three of us together for I
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: think ever since I've been in the NFL.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: Really, that's really cool.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like it's it's like a mandatory annual off
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: season trip for all use.
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: For me. It's perfect too.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: After the season and then before OTA starts, like a
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: really good recharge of the mind, body soul, just getting
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: the body right, getting the mind right for you know,
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: the the long season and OTAs and everything. So it's
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: it's been, it's been great. So that's kind of what
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: I did in the off season for sure.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: And now we're back here working out getting ready for
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: OTS right around the corner. All right, let's finish it
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: up with a couple of rapid fire questions. What teammate
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: would you want on your side during a zombie apocalypse?
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: Spencer Brown?
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: Spencer Brown for sure. Come.
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: I mean he's a big dude, and I mean he's
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: into like all that outdoor stuff.
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: He loves hunting and stuff, so I mean he I
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: think he would be the perfect fit for Okay.
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: I think that's a good choice. Name a buffalo bill
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: that makes you laugh?
• 28:01
  Speaker 3: Oh man, mm hmm. Damn. I was gonna name an
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: old one, the current one, the current one.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: Uh, I mean, we got a lot of a lot
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: of jokesters.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: I'm trying.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to name I'm trying to think of the best.
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: Best one is probably not rapid up. I don't know,
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: we have to come back to that.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: That's even come back to name one weird hobby that
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: you have.
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's probably like grounding.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Grounding, Yeah, just walking barefoot? Are you Matt Collins besties yet?
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: We are?
• 28:38
  Speaker 3: We are. We have conversations all the time.
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: I was gonna say he's crazy, He's crazy, But yeah,
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: I like grounding.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: I probably got into it a few.
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: Years ago and stuff, and there's there's some decent amount
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: of literature and science that goes behind it. Okay, it's
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: one of those things where it's tough to measure the
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: effects and changes.
• 28:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely good in mind.
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: I feel like, you know, if you're for it, you
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: know all good. What's your favorite cheat meal?
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: Oh, pizza, pizzazza? I love I love pizza. I'm a
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: big sucker for pizza.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: What's on your pizza?
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: I mean, there's there's a few different routes I can
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: go down, you know, I think my wife and I
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: are our favorite has been like a Hawaiian style pizza.
• 29:25
  Speaker 3: And yeah, pineapples do belong on pizza for sure. But no, we.
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: Actually so we actually add some like bacon, and then
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: like add some like Frank's Red Hot sauce on it
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: as well.
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: So that's kind of been our favorite.
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: Okay, Yeah, there's a lot of different routes you can
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: go down.
• 29:43
  Speaker 3: I love all pizza, bread and cheese. I love that's
• 29:48
  Speaker 3: what I can indulge it.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: He's usually goog gluten free. I'm just kidding. What's your
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: favorite TV show?
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: I would probably say, I mean, my wife got me
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: into this, but her favorite TV show is Friends, and
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: so I feel like ever since we've been together, that's
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: like it's always us on in the background. It's just
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: like a filler show. It's always on in the in
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: the house.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: What's something you gotta do on an off day?
• 30:15
  Speaker 3: Oh, I gotta do on an off day.
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: Mmmm. I would say probably I got a sauna. Sauna
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: and coletub.
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: Okay, how many times are you going back and forth a.
• 30:33
  Speaker 3: Couple A couple?
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I sa I go like twenty minutes and
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: then a few minutes in the cold tub, and then
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: twenty minutes and a few minutes in the coldtob Yeah.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: I love that. What's one artist you've been listening to lately?
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: Oh, I gotta say, I'm a huge reggae fan. I
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: love reggae island music. We always I brought. I brought
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: the Loha Loha Fridays here, so like every Friday, our
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: position coach is listening to reggae.
• 30:59
  Speaker 3: But no, I'll probably say, okay.
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: I've heard just just some. I mean, it's just like
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: he's good. He's good, especially out here in Buffalo. That's
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: what I need. Good vibes, good good uh good energy.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: All right, let's get back to the jokester on the team. Yeah,
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: I know, I know some of the jokesters left, So
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: it's okay that this answer is taking some time because
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: a lot of people would say, Gabe Davis, he's no
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: longer on the team. I was gonna say Jack J.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: White no longer on the team.
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was to say, mm.
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: Hmmm, Daikwana jokester is trying to think of who else
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: gets people laughing? Got Terrell, you got Matt?
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: Those guys, aren't Those guys are too serious.
• 32:03
  Speaker 3: I don't even know. I don't I feel like we
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: don't even have.
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: Liked jokes This year is going to be.
• 32:08
  Speaker 3: In the year where we find it designated jokester. I
• 32:11
  Speaker 3: can't even think about.
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: I think that's an okay answer.
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: I feel like we lost all the designated jokesters from
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: last year.
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm sorry.
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry.
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: I'm totally fine with that answer, and I think fans
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: will be too, because usually the guys who get named
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: are no longer n Yeah, sure, am I forgetting anybody?
• 32:29
  Speaker 3: Guys?
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: Do you think of anybody? Vandy?
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Vanny, I'll say Vanny for sure, right, Yeah, yeah,
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: for sure.
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: Andy's gonna step it up this year. Bryan Vandermark the
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: jokes with the team. I love it. Taylor, thanks for
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: sitting down talking about life, talking about health and wellness.
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: I love talking about that. So hopefully fans will enjoy
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: that conversation.
• 32:50
  Speaker 3: And yeah, hopefully they don't think I'm two psycho.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: You're an NFL player. It's okay to be psycho. You
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: gotta be psycho about some things to be able to
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: play the sport that you guys play. Sure, it's awesome. Well,
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: we're excited to see you on the field this season.
• 33:03
  Speaker 3: You awesome. Mm hm
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: M hm.