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Mac & Bone Show - Darren Waller Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome back, everybody. It is the Mac and Bone Show
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Sports Radio 92.7 Panthers camp wrapping up. But we've got
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: one of the newest additions, if not the newest addition
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to the Carolina Panthers. Tight end Darren Waller joining us
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: on the show. Darren, how you doing, man? What's going on?
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: I'm great, man. Blessed to be here.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: So what's it like to get here kind of in
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: the middle of camp? I mean, you're a savvy vet,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: so I feel like you probably pick up things at
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: this point in your career quicker than when you were younger.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: But what is it like kind of joining in progress
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: on the fly like this?
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, there's naturally some catching up to do.
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: The train's already been rolling since, you know, mid-April to
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: mid-June is a foundation-laying process in the spring, which is
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: very important for a team to have success in the
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: long run. And then, you know, those first few weeks
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: of training camp into already having a first preseason game,
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: I come in the mix with a second preseason game.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: So it's like, yeah, you feel that.
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: All right, I got some catching up to do to
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: get back in the mix, to get into the flow,
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: to learn, but also at the same time, just knowing like,
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: as long as I can do the most that I
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: can do what I can every single day, that's enough.
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: I don't have to put too much stress on myself
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: to know everything in one day. It's just like, let
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: me get an extra hour with my coach. Let me
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: ask questions and, and not be afraid to ask questions
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: just because, you know, I'm a guy who usually knows
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: what's going on in different places. Like, you know, humble yourself, learn, um,
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: get to know guys, um, and do everything you can
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: to catch up, and then eventually you'll find your way in,
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: and it'll be a lot smoother.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: We've been able to follow your journey from afar for
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: a while, whether it's your football journey, your wife journey,
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: all you've been through. You're still 33, a lot of
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: football left, but you joined a young offense. So what's
• 1:39
  Speaker 4: it mean for you to still be that productive Darren Waller,
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: but now there's that experience and there's that leadership aspect
• 1:45
  Speaker 4: that you can pass down to all these guys?
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think that's something that I'm definitely taking
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: into account as I'm exploring what, This stage of my
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: career is like going into year 10. There's definitely still
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: things I can do that I was able to do
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: earlier in my career, but at the same time, there's
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: more I can give to the team than just statistical
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: output and catches and route running ability. There's things that
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: I've been through, seen, reactions, how defenses react, how things move,
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: and just how to navigate because we've got some young
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: studs on this team that can really play and they're
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: navigating their own journey through being the guy and, um,
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: the focal point of offenses and the focal point of
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: what defenses are preparing for. So it's, uh, just to
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: be able to be in the room with those guys,
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: if they ever have questions, uh, offer what I can, uh,
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: but also learn from them too. I always feel like
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: you can be the student one day and the teacher
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: the next. So it's, uh, It's an interesting tournament.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: How are the conversations with XL and Jimmy Horn going?
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: There's some Southern accents there. Are you picking up on that?
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: It's a gym. Just listen to them, man.
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: Once you slow down and listen to them, you definitely
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: understand what– You got to sneak.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Up on it.
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: Horns are a little underrated because we've talked a lot
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: about the stuff that– I mean, there's a whole video
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: of XL riding horses standing up in his hometown. Speeding.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: He showed me some sliding on horses.
• 3:05
  Speaker 4: But Jimmy Horns are a little underrated at the Southern
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: stuff too.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: Isn't he?
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: He floored a– Through and through. I love Jimmy, though, man.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: He's incredible.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: We're talking with Darren Waller, new tight end for the
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers. All right, so we're watching the joint practice,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: and one of the guys, the guy that does our
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: afternoon show, Kyle Bailey, comes over to me and says, man,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: you see Waller lining up in the slot? You see
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: him get off that line? Like, he still gets off
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: that line. Like, last year, you got downfield. I mean,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: I think it was 12 catches of balls that were
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: 10 yards or more in the air, 5, 20 yards downfield.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: in nine games, six touchdowns in nine games, you feel
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: like people might look at that age and say, hey,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: he still doesn't get downfield like that. Is that still
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: something you're confident that you can bring to this offense?
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, especially with the groundwork being laid this offseason
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: with the training. The speed is back to where it
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: was a few years ago. Being in the 20s and
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: stuff like that is something I work hard to get
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: back to, which I don't feel like I was there
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: last year. And so I'm grateful that I was able to,
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: that I'm able to get back there and still have
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: that in my toolbox to make explosive plays for an offense.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: Cause those things are there, give your offense a lot
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: of momentum, give your team momentum. So I feel like
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: I can still bring that to this team.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: Darrell Bevel comes over as well. A guy that, you know,
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: from Miami, how big do you think he's going to
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: be for this offense too?
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: Bev, I think is super helpful just in terms of
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: like understanding, like from what I've seen him do in
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: his role so far as like giving a picture of like, okay,
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: what is this defense? defense's philosophy. How are we trying
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: to attack them? What do they do? What are they
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: trying to do against us? What are they trying to
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: take away from us in bringing that element to football?
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: That's where I feel like my game has elevated is
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: trying to get that wisdom of like, okay, this is
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: everything the defense is trying to do. Here are their rules.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: This is how we're going to attack them. This is
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: why we're going to attack them. I think he brings
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: so much expertise from his time in the league. He
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: did that last year. We got a lot out of
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: his additions to third down, breaking down their coverages and tendencies.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: in different situations. So I think he does that for
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: our guys. And like you said, like a young offense,
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: it's important to learn those little things that helps separate guys.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Do you, do you worry that because I guess can
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Alice said the other day, he's got to rely on
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: your tape from last year, right? He only has so
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: much to watch of you here in practice. Do you,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: so do you feel like, okay, because of that, I
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: think your tape looked pretty good when you played last year.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like, hey, I can definitely be on
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: this 53? Do you wonder if they would try to practice? Like,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: squad you, have there been conversations about that?
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: No.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: I mean, I understand at this point in my career
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: that that's part of the business of the league. That's
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: something that could happen. I kind of leave that up
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: and just control what I can control. I feel like
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: that's gotten me to where I've been able to get
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: in my career and to do the things I've been
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: able to do. And at this stage, if there's different turns–
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: For me at this point, I'm here to play ball
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: and help this team as best as I can. If
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: it's in a different role at different times, then so
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: be it. But whatever that role is, I'm going to
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: try to do my best at it.
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: Did you ever think that John Gruden, the guy you
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: know well from the Vegas Raiders, would be now in
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: a Barstool content role? In his career?
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: I did not, but now that he is, it's like, oh,
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: it makes so much sense.
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: He fits.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: He fits. It's like a perfect fit. Perfect fit. Yeah.
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: That video, I'm sure you saw that video with Rich
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: Gannon that went viral. Did you see that during the
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: Super Bowl times? on the street when he buddied up
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: with Rich Gale. And all they did was beat each
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: other up for like a minute and a half. Is
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: that kind of who Gruden is.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: As a football guy?
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: Anything you see from him in the booth and on Barstool,
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: that's literally how he is every day. People are like,
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: he's so funny. It's like every offensive install every single
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: day was like that. It's like a Netflix special every day.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Did guys do Gruden impressions in the locker room?
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Because that's a good voice to do. I figured that
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: would happen. What do you think about Bryce? I mean,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: we were out there today. I know that it was
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: a tough day against that Houston defense today, but I
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: know that Bryce has been doing a lot of good
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: things in camp. What do you think of him? Because
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: I'm sure you hear things about him. What do you
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: think of him as a quarterback? What sticks out?
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: I just think the poise and just the equilibrium emotionally
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: for him, because I feel like he's done some pretty
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: amazing things in his career and also like there's times
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: where he's had to take a step back um like
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: be on the sidelines be in a backup role for
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: like minimum time like so you can see that he's
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: been through things that have helped him like mature just
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: his perspective on things like he's saying things to the
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: offense and he's not only like he's not calling guys
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: out he's like trying to raise everybody up to a
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: different level yeah like even like today he's like there
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: are certain things guys today everybody's be honest when we
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: watch the film including me and it's like that's the
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: what you want to see from your quarterback but also
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: so much thing like his His pocket mobility, the way
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: he kind of like weaves through like rush lanes and
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: able to get the ball out. People are like, oh,
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: he's shorter. But it's like, man, he's finding those windows
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: and putting the ball where it needs to be. So
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: it's like he's done a lot of things. Just me
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: being here a few practices, I'm like, oh, man, this
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: dude is legit.
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: We're all excited for Mitchell Evans upside as a tight end.
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: What have you seen so far? And what is his
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: ceiling ultimately here, do you think? What is he doing well?
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: Super versatile, man. I'm really impressed with the whole room,
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: to be honest. But, yeah, Mitchell is a big guy,
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: physical in the run game, can pass protect. He's got
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: sure hands, asking him to run whether it's over routes, anything.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: He's pretty agile for his size, man. I think he's
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: got the tools to have a good long career as
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: long as he wants to play.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Last thing I want to ask, we're not ending really
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: on a great note here, but I do want to
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: make sure I ask you. You said you were asked
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: when you signed here and you did the first presser,
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: were you surprised that it took until now for you
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: to get that call from a team? And you said
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: you brought up kind of my availability as part of
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: the reason why. No, I'm not really– You had three
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: different injuries last year.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: How are you feeling? Are you concerned that you could
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: deal with that again just as you progress in age
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: in your career? Or do you feel like, oh, my
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: body's different right now?
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: I do feel different right now.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: I feel like last year was a product of– like
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: not training football in retirement and then like coming back
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: and being like, let's see if we can play ball
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: like an old dude going to play pickup basketball.
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: He's looking at you when he said that. Oh, I'm
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: so old I don't even try anymore, man.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Screw that.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: But it's really like the foundation laid this offseason was
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: like probably one of the best if not the best
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: that I feel like I've had. And so it's like
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: coming into camp, coming into this like so much more calloused,
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: I feel like. The frequency, like all those injuries, I
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: feel like is definitely not something that's going to happen
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: this year. I mean, not to say like it's a
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: violent game, things can happen out there, but as far
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: as injuries like I had last year, I feel like
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: the foundation that's been laid is night and day. So
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: I feel like it's not going to be like that.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I thought you may say that because listening to you,
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: it feels like you are way more ready to start
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: camp this year. All right, man. Well, hey, we're pulling
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: for you. Best of luck here in Carolina, and thanks
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: for coming on, Darren.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Appreciate you, man.