Big Red Rage - Kei'Trel Clark Bounces Back From Benching

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And Ron Willkley. It doesn't get any better than that.

Leash all right, red see, let's go, let's come off the ball, Come on now, let's hear it. And of course it's raining out there. I mean, you know, it's got to be a preview a game day of Sunday in Pittsburgh. Some of us are sidelined strong around here, and we can handle. Some of us like to sit in the climate controlled broadcast booth and then get another cup of coffee and yet another pastry. We'll figure that out as we go along. Here, Paul KELVC and Ron Wolfley,

You there?

We go?

In fact, Wolf says, I can tell you don't have anything yet to say. With no further ado, Key Troll, I'm not sure where this we started this year. The Angry Bird Award, okay where for those of us who are in the audience listening only, it's an angry bird stuffed animal that I put into this mini helmet right here,

Okay, so you're the one picking.

That award is I created it, I pick it. There's just one one thing I should point out. I can't actually give this to you, Troll, because I don't quite have the budget yet and I only have one, so that it's honorary.

We'll put it up here.

So matter of fact, you have me excited for a second at least.

Handed to him. Okay, go.

Aulian voice another one to Jim One.

There we go.

Tro How you doing hey, man? I am will, I am well.

Thank you guys for having me here today. This is a great opportunity man, for sure.

Yeah, Keith Troll. You know, honestly, it's great to see. We are big fans of your game and big fans of you as a person as well. How is your rookie season going? I mean, let's go a big picture right now when we start talking about it.

How do you feel this year has gone?

Man?

I feel like it's been a lot going on this rookie season for me, even starting way back into you know, missing rookie mini camp because I had to go graduate. It's been a whole uphill battle, man. But I think I've been been doing a great job with it. I have a great support system and I think through the highs and the lows, man, I feel like I'm being pretty resilient through it all.

So Man, I'm grateful you're.

Learning something about yourself a little bit as well.

Right.

Absolutely, it's been highs, has been lows.

I had to take some time and lock myself in the mirror for some things, maybe not playing as best as I thought I'll be able to be to play at at that moment, and uh, you know, getting benched and that whole situation. And man, it was just an uphill battle, like I said, And I'm continuing to keep on, you know, fighting and swinging every single day.

So we want to get into that at some point in time, a little bit later, maybe.

In the show, but right now, just the overall, man, t You're in the National Football League, Man, I mean when did you start dreaming.

About playing in the NFL? What did you start really thinking?

Man, I could do this, man, since I was a little kid. I've been playing football since I was five.

Wow.

Since I was playing flag football. I would get the football and run into the opposite end zone.

Like I was.

You were commercial.

Yes, I was literally been playing this game since I was a little boy, man, And you know, I've never missed a season since I was five years old, so that says a lot as well. So yeah, yeah, so I just you know, I had I had a goal set. A lot of people say, man, you you gotta have a Plan B. I really didn't focus much on the Plan B. I just focused on Plan A, and that was making it to the NFL. And I'm here now

It is.

I know that rookie feeling. I know that.

So the fact you didn't want to miss graduation Louisville, what does that say? Because we didn't even know you yet, and that was our first impression. We're like, that's a heck of a first impression. That graduation was meaningful enough to you that you're like, you asked coach for permission to attend right right.

So before I even got drafted, me and JG had a conversation and I was letting them know, like, man, like rookie Minnie camp Is around the time of graduation, like coach, I don't. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make it to rookie Minnie camp. And he was like, man, it's okay, Like dude, go graduate, Like do what you gotta do. We're gonna be here.

So key trout, what was that like graduating? Like what I mean, did you walk? Did you do the whole thing?

Yeah, so I am. I'm in a fraternity as well.

Uh so, me and two of them, two of my other fraternity brothers, we graduated on the same day and uh so we have a little frat.

Step that we do.

And as I was walking through the state and walking over the stage, you know, I just did my fraternity step and it was an amazing feeling.

Man.

I'll say the only feeling that I can compare to it is probably having having my baby, my first born, uh and and getting drafted. It's like it's a feeling that you can't really explain, to be honest, and so.

Worthy of an applause right there. I don't know what that frat step looked like.

Maybe i'll show y'all one day on the celebration.

I would look forward to that. But we do know what your intro looks like based on how you were introduced. Did you see that wolf you're up in the boot? Did you see him pull up all the gymnastics move?

What do you call it?

Bro?

By the way, man, that's just a backflip, man, easy, easy, black flip. I've been doing that since I was little.

Okay, So you came out and you did a back flip. Okay, because I have to tell you I missed it. I saw pictures of it. Yeah, but I missed it right here. How long have you been able to do that?

Probably since I was like ten years old up.

So that's this is like, no way, man. I feel like a cave man throwing rocks at the moon. I mean, I think of how you even start doing that.

If I'm the GM or the coach, I'm like, oh my goodness, do you consider that risky to do that?

It is?

But like I was telling my dad literally today. I literally told him.

I said, man, like doing a backflip is kind of like second nature, Like it's just something that I can I can really do like easily. So Nick Ralans he told me when he was like, man, I just think about it. If you don't land it, I said, Coach, I'm going to landy.

I probably.

Well.

It reminds me of Marco Wilson last year and the pick six against Andy Dalton where he vaulted you know he did all that park course stuff when he was a kid. Kind of reminded me.

No, that was that was an iconic photo.

Yeah, yeah, but that was up front, right, just vaulted in and then yeah, just because he said he just launched himself in the mid air, he figured it out. That's Marco.

Can you do a front?

Doing the front flip is not second nature? So I probably won't try that one.

Okay, that's really cool. You do anything? Have you ever done parkour at all?

Not really?

I'm well, if if you consider like jumping off of slides and playgrounds in the back flips, yeah, I guess I did some parcor growing up.

That's amazing.

Kids don't try that at home. Please don't please, don't thank you. In fact, let's go into the locker room.

All right.

So look, it was a tough out come against the Rams and one of the team captains, Dennis Gardeck, and uh, you know what, he had something really meaningful to say after the game.

Here's gard Deck.

You know, our sports psychologists hit us in the offseason. They said there's there's three enemies in any given battle. It's first yourself, second the guys around you, and third the actual opponent.

And we fought all three of those today.

Interesting, now, the guy sitting next to you reminds us of a Dennis gard Deck.

All right.

So Wolf played ten years, went to four Pro Bowls as a special teams assassin. Guard Deck sort of has that similar mindset the way he plays, and I saw him work on the sideline in the second half. You know, some of the veterans said a few things to say, didn't.

They No doubt, no doubt, And guys like guard Deck, you know he's he's emotional about the game, as he should be. Anybody that cares about this game should be emotional about it, especially when we're not getting you know, the outcome that we worked so hard for every single day. Uh So, man, hats off to guard At for being a great captain on his team and pushing guys vice younger guys as well to you know, get get this leaf turned over.

You know what's so interesting about that, Polly as well? Just listening to that last cut that you played three enemies. I had an old coach who used to say, you know what your three enemies are? Me, myself and I. That's what he used to say right there. And his point, obviously was everything begins and ends with you and how you apply yourself everything. And you know, that was something that I adopted early on in my professional career. It wasn't in college that I learned that. Me myself and I.

That That was something that he used to say to me all the time, and I got that.

I understand. There are a lot of extenuating circumstances. Are you kidding me? There's a there's a human being who's very, very talented, who's trying to keep you from doing your job.

Control right exactly.

So I mean, yeah, of course you have to worry about who your opponent is, and what scheme you're running, and what your assignment is. You have to worry about all of this. But I thought, man, that was really cool. You know that you would take responsibility just for yourself. Is this something that you're.

Learning exactly every single day, every single day that I wake up, I have to put my right foot for it, for myself and for my family as well. But as far as Gardak was talking, as far as doctor so his name is doctor J. So doctor J. He comes in and you know, he he leaves and leaves us with good, good tools to you know, continue to develop our minds and and to be you know, silent assassins on the field, as I like to say, because at the end of the day, like you said, it's arts

Yes, at the end of the day too. So man, that was good.

Yes.

And look, it's a new coaching staff, it's a new system. You know, Kyler Murray for example, right, He's only has three games under his spell to full speed football. Running this system. It's very different, including the footwork. And he was talking this week just about some of the growing pains learning Like you were talking about Key Troll, here's Kyler.

We got to break old habits.

We have to.

You know, we're learning as the weeks go on, trying to execute as the highest level as we possibly can. And I think that's part of being in a you know, a new system.

I haven't been in very many new systems, but.

You know, being in this one, I don't think that we're you know, we've reached our maximum level of you know what we're going to be eventually.

How do you think the team has responded this week?

Man? This week, I feel like we've came ready to play.

I feel like we we had a showing that we weren't so proud of last week and it left a bad taste on our So I think this week, man, I think everybody is coming to play. We're competing understanding that we're not looking. We're present right now where our feet are, and we're not worried about.

By weeks or whatever else is to come.

We got to focus on right now If you think about this, if you think about what win really stands for, it stands for what's important now, and that's what guys are really taking to right now.

What's what's it been like to practice Kyler for more than a month now, you know quarterbacks, what's it been like?

Hey, Kyler is a is a special athlete to be able to go out there and do what he does, and especially come back from an injury like he did.

I had.

I had a similar injury as well, so I know what it took to go through to get to where he is now.

Man.

So he's a special athlete. Like he said, Man, we got more hyps to reach in the ceilings forever.

It was his junior year.

You were having a heck of a year and you had the knee injury eight games in. We'll get into that in detail. We'll talk about what brought you to Arizona. By the way, you can hear from Jonathan Annon every week Cardinals in Focus, included at Sunday nine thirty am twelve News. We'll get you ready for this week's matchup

Dobson is there, made the catch at the fort. He tackled immediately by Key Troll Clark, who has held his own in his NFL debut. Deep ball left side, single covered receiver there and of knocked away at the last second by Key Troll Clark in good cleek.

Key Troll Clark just kept running in his face.

Jones keeping it only got maybe a yard is easily planted by Key troll Clark.

We saw him break up the past. Now he breaks up Daniel Jones.

I promise you right now, Daniel Jones. We've got a mouthful of dirt and the.

Pass is hawk foot hot up bounds is caught incomplete.

Could not get both beat down one on one.

On the outside with Key Troll Clark. He did a great job turning around.

Pass left side. Skarana caught it, but he's dropped immediately. Key Troull Clark with a nice hit. Clark. We haven't seen him a lot, but he's back in the starting lineup today. And Clark with a great play to force a punt.

And that's not an easy tackle. That's chronic guy who plays fullback as well. Yeah, as a receiver. I mean he's a physical dude. Nine tackles a team high total. And we're gonna get to know Key Troll Clark here momentarily as we continue with a big red rage presented by Santan Ford in Gilbert. But a great crowd here,

Yeah?

Nah, that's that's something that I do always. I take notes on everything. I even have.

I have a whole notebook full of like I still have my notebook as far as my college notebook when I took notes on every wide receiver before the season even started, So wow, Like, yeah, that's kind of that's kind of what I do. When I was going against Mike, I felt like he was getting me a little bit more than I like. So I was like, man, I'm

Me too much. Well, that is so cool. You did a little personal research right there, right, Okay.

Let it on all of our wide receivers as well.

What do you think is your strength as a corner right now? I know you're a rookie, and you're still making your way. But what do you think right now is your strength?

I say, I feel like the physical attributes are there. Without the physical attributes, you know, I wouldn't be here.

Uh.

I feel like mentally right now, that's my strength of being able to respond.

Uh.

In the game, things are always going to go the way that you want them to go.

Uh.

Sometimes you gotta you gotta flush things when some bad things happen.

Uh.

So I say say, my strong point right now is just the mental part of the game. Being able to bounce back when things go wrong.

Sort of reminds me of playing tackle. Like a long time host of this show, DJ Humphreys, Right, And DJ used to like to say, there'd be sixty snaps in a game, and I could be a kick of my guys butt for fifty nine of him. But he beats me on one man, just one and he gets through the quarterback and that can change the game. And you're nodding because you know that's life is a corner.

Right.

Yeah, So mentally, how long did it take you to get that strength? Because I mean, look at your season, right, you started the first four games. Yeah, you played a lot of snaps in weeks five and six, and then you got zero defensive snaps the next five games. Yet you rebounded to start again last week and you led the team in tackles.

Yeah.

Is that all part of that mental strength maybe you formulated and forged as a corner.

Absolutely. I'll tell you one thing. If I didn't have the mental strength to endure all of the adversity that I went through as far especially as far as being out for five games and being benched, I wouldn't have played last week.

You know.

I had to just continue to be me and show the character that I know I have at the end of the day, knowing that in this game it's a production based business. If you're not producing, then you know they're gonna find somebody that's that's going to produce a little bit more. Man, So I had to really take the emotions out of it and really, like I said before, it looked myself in the mirror mentally.

Yeah.

No, keep troull I've got to ask you this right here, because I heard you earlier talking about this. You said it was the best thing that could happen to you. Now keep trust Well, please, how what do you mean by that is the best?

Thing to happen.

Why man, Because.

If you break it down to say, say a guy has came into the NFL and he's never hit that wall, never hit a time where you know, he got benched, or he's always been high that moment where he gets benched, or some things may not go his way. He might not respond the way that you would think he would be able to respond.

Right.

Yes, But being that I was able to go through that in my rookie year and bounce back from it, I feel like that shows a lot about my character.

Yeah, thoughts, and.

I just think that it was the best thing that happened for me because I grew as a person as well more than just a football player.

Wow, dude, we're.

Gonna hear from Nick Rowlis here in a moment your defensive coordinator, was there something you needed to show Rollis and or Jonathan Gannon before you got back in the lineup.

For them?

I'm not sure what else they needed to see, but I know for me, I needed to show consistency because I wasn't consistent enough for my liking. So and I know if I'm consistent enough for me, then that would be consistent enough for them, all Right.

Well, here's your decordinator, Nick Rowlis, and your performance against the Rams last Sunday.

Oh, it popped off the tables. He tackled really well. That's not something you always are looking for with corner play, but it just so happened. A lot of balls went to the flat on him or he had to screen his way, and he tackled extremely well. I thought his off technique was good, you know, he was he was sticky on some cut splits or they're trying to get you off and get some access, and I thought he

When we were at your locker yesterday, whole scrum of media. Did I hear you say that you went back and studied a lot of your coverages and a lot of other things, sort of like what you did in rookie Minnie camp against Michael Wilson. Did you go back during the five games you weren't playing and study earlier in the season.

Absolutely.

I feel like if you are a player in this league, you have to study yourself as well, because your opponent is studying you. There's no reason why I should study a guy in stite. Put all this time into studying someone else and don't study myself. I have to be able to sharpen my tools as well so I can be my best self on the field. Things that I may not made, things that I thought were a weakness

So, key Troll, you're telling me you're it sounds like you're your harshest critic. You look at yourself and you break it down, right. Yeah, that is that is huge, right there, Key Troll. Seriously, if you do that, you're gonna play twelve fourteen years in this league. If you keep that mindset of constantly trying to get better and then looking at yourself first and saying where can I get better? Look, I played ten years in the NFL. It shouldn't have been there ten days, but I played

Man, thank you. Man I I just it's all a mindset.

As I was telling you before, it comes from just gaining wisdom from you know, father figures that have came into my life.

And I thank them for that.

As well, because you know, it's not a lot of guys I'm and I see you know, it's not a lot a lot of guys that kind of have that mindset and think the way I do. Not trying to sound cocky, just being very confident. So man, I see it all the time. I see guys that, you know, try to put the blame on other people instead of really looking themselves in the mirror and seeing, okay, they may have an assessment on me but let me assess myself real quick. Yeah, let's see what they're saying as up.

Keep me in you me, myself, me myself saying come on everything within You're right? Yes, say well look kep T. Clark Brown six rookie as our guest here on the big red race, Presentabody, santan Ford and Gilbert. Yet there you were, just beyond halfway pointer or your junior year at Louisville. Right, you're bidding to be all a C C again. In fact you were, but then down you went with a knee injury during one of your best games at that moment. How scared were you you wouldn't have an NFL future.

Man, A lot flashed before my eyes when I got injured on that day. I'll say that was another piece of my life that really was that I had to be resilient and face some adversity. I feel like I've been facing adversity all my life, So man, I just I just knew that I had to keep on working.

I knew it wasn't over.

I had teammates that had the same exact injury that I had, and I see them flourishing, So I didn't better not. I knew that the journey would be a little bit longer to get to the destination that I wanted to get to, But I knew I was gonna get there.

And I'm here, okay, speaking of here Lothian, Virginia. Yeah, is that how you say? Yes? Mid Lothian right there?

Man?

It sounds so medieval mid Lothian. How cool is that? Paul Well?

I knew you would be attracted. It's outside Richmond, right, most of us would just say Richmond. But not Wolf because he reads he reads fourteenth century literature. Okay, so he's attracted to the medieval aspect of it. What's what's crazy is not only were you in all state dB, but you're all state punt returner. And did I see her? Max Preps had you rated as the number two punt returner in the country athlete. So do you ever have your eyes on maybe we're turning a pun or two

Man?

I went at the return place in Kyleage. I just never got my opportunity to uh. But man, you know, I'm a ball player. Whatever my number is called to do, I'm there to do it.

Yeah. Can I ask you about mid Lofian What is that like?

Like, what is it?

You know?

How many people are Yeah, I mean I just want to get a feel for this. So it's so cool.

So I know as Virginia, but I'm not in the country part of Virginia. It's more it's more county city like a little bit. So it's not it's not like we're only have six.

Hundred people in the right.

It's not a small town.

No, it's not a small town at all, man, It's it's quite big.

On My high school was very big as well, had a big high school class, and you know, it was a great area to be in.

Cool, nothing crazy, Yeah, I mean you guys were Class six state champs.

I see here.

So you know, it's not like zav And College and you you're telling Wolf about is one stop like town.

Okay, it's not like that.

And Denny Hamlin is a famous and notable alum from a class of ninety nine at your high school. Are you a NASCAR guy being from that part of the country, Man, No, No, that's awesome, that's good.

That's right here. Speaking of you know, acquaintances and things of that, nature. Who's your best friend on the team. You got a best friend on the team, You got somebody you hang.

So all Me and the guys are tight, yes, but uh but one guy that that that I've talked to and we had some deep conversations and uh just just talking life.

Outside the ball as well as it's Garrett.

Yeah.

So so me and Garrett, Man, we're pretty tight. Uh it's it's a real relationship, man. And you know, he was my guy that I sit next to on the plane for the away games and when he came back on his debut and I was sitting next to him knowing that I was going to be inactive for the game, but I never I always supported my boy and was there and he always supported me as well. And you know, just continue to feed that good energy into me and just let me know, like, bro, it's not over, Bro,

So.

I have a homeboy that goes to Ohio State now and he played at Syracuse with g uh. He called me and said, man, I got a homeboy towards a c L. He wanted to talk to you, and I was like, cool, send him my number. It was Garrett And this was before we got drafted and now we're here together.

Many is unbelievable.

Yah.

Yeah, that's pretty destined right there. That's amazing. Hey, single game tickets on sale now. Go to Acycardinals dot com slash buy tickets to secure your seats today. I tell you we come back, we'll talk about some of these rookie duties.

Maybe.

I mean, it's week thirteen. Are you still doing the rookie duties? That's one question I'm gonna ask when we come back. You know, I mean guys like Wolf used to task all the rookies to get them donuts and stuff like that. Come on, now, we're live from Trophy and Chandler located on Queen Creek Road between Bryce and Dobson. The Big Red Rage with Key Trout bark All presented by Santan Ford in Gilbert.

Puta Baker come.

Out to be getting hand on boot a Baker put the Baker's a man who to Baker man?

Man?

Who the Baker's are bad?

A dude.

Watching that's a running and hit and everything I've told Buddha Baker more than once. He needs to make that Mike Tomlin comment about him his ring tone. I mean, that's like the ultimate praise right there. You got a future Hall of Fame head coach Mike Tomlin raving about you, miked up on NFL films while he's watching you play over the course of a game. That is that is the highest praise of them all. Hey, it's a Big

So growing up, you know, when I really started looking at the league, man and really paying attention to more and more, Buddha was my favorite player. You know, I can, I can I really think about a time last year we were playing Clemson and I was in my locker with a towel over my head watching his highlights. Bro Like it's crazy. So I was literally watching his highlights, Like I went back to college. I watched his highlights when he was over there in Washington. So I'm watching

Now.

You know what's incredible about Buddha Baker is the impact he has on everyone else around him offensively, defensively, in transition with special teams. I don't care where it is right now, Buddha Baker. When you watch Buddha Baker play, PAULI, the most incredible thing about it is his fearlessness and and the intensity in which he plays. Play after play

He challenges you just by watching.

Him play, how hard he plays and with the intensity that he played, he challenges everybody on the sideline to do the exact same without saying a word. And I don't know, I don't know if you could have a better example than Buddha Baker because.

Of that, man, Man, So what was it like when you're in the same meeting room with Buddha Baker? Because Paris Johnson Junior shared a little story about you know, he sort of was taken aback by Kyler Murray. You know he's like, Okay, at cool, at cool, Paris. He's like telling himself, you know, don't be a fanboy.

There's Kyler Murray that kind of thing.

Was it a process for you to sort of be his teammate?

Man?

See I speak my mind, man, and I feel like at the end of the day, where a teammates now, So I can tell you how I feel. When I first met him, I said, Bro, like, I really respect you as a player and a person as well. Bro, you a guy that already looked at and I literally like you said, like, I'm not trying to be a fan boy. That's what I told him, Like, Bro, I'm not trying to be a fan boy. Bro, Like, I appreciate your work, all the work that you put in. You make me want to go hard as well.

So well, guess what earlier today, Buddha, Baker was asked about you and your return to the starting lineup. Here's Buddha.

He continued to stay in it, continue to work very hard all the scout team reps. He was continuing the work is technique, continuing to work the communication aspect of it as well. And you know, he came in and you know, it's just like he was earlier on when he was starting, and now he's he's just adding more knowledge onto the game now that he's playing. So to get these reps and to get this time on the field is definitely good for younger players, especially corners on the outside.

In fact, to your point earlier, Wolf, when we watched the first couple games of the Cardinals in twenty twenty three, Yeah, one of the things a lot of guys cited, guys like you and Kyle Vanderbosch, Roth Berderckson said, you know what, no longer is there so vast difference between Buddha and the rest of the players on film last year too often, right, there was Buddha playing at one speed and the rest

I mean guys have to match that right, absolutely absolutely.

For myself, I'm not the biggest guy every time we step on the field, I'm probably the smartest guy on the field, but my goal is not to play like that. You know, at the end of the day, I gotta I see Buddha getting to the ball running full speed like he don't care about his life, but he does.

It's like they used to say he was running into the darkness.

But na, like, bro, I take heath to that man.

So you know, that was kind of my mindset last game, Like bro, like, forget it, full speed, I don't care that he's bigger than me. I'm gonna runn fullest, full speed into him. If I get him down, I get him down. If I don't, I know my team is coming.

So once again, and that's.

The reason why Buddha Baker players like him challenge everybody on the sideline because football, for the most part, it's played by big, fast individuals who will just knock your face off.

Period.

I realize when you get into the secondary, when you get into position, they're gonna get smaller and they need to get smaller because you need speed out there as well. But Buddha Baker, when when people watch him, is smaller. He's not a prototype safety by any stretch of the imagination, not even close. He's not the fastest guy, he's not the biggest guy, and he's not the strongest guy in the field.

He's not.

He's just the best player on the field every time he steps in between those white lines because of how he plays.

Mindset.

It is a mindset, key truff. Why do you say that though, Because you know that, don't you.

That's a masset. Whoever you tell yourself you're gonna beat, that's who you're gonna be. You tell yourself you're gonna be great, You're gonna be great. If you tell yourself that I'm gonna go out here on the field today and I'm gonna be the best player on the field, regardless if there is a Hall of future, Hall of Fame on the field, I'm gonna be the best player

So you had nine tackles. In this last game he had ten tackles, two passes defense against Dallas. Who's the best player you've gone against so far in a game? Who's a guy just the dude factor? Like, Okay, this this guy is a dude.

I'm gonna take it all the way back to preseason. I'm gonna go to Patrick Mahomes like, I'm not even talking about wide receivers. I'm just I'm just talking about quarterbacks, you know, at the end, just a player. And because, man, when I was playing against him, he would make things happen with his legs, Like make plays happen with his legs. As a dB, it's hard to cover for longer than three seconds, Like he makes the play last for ten seconds just running around.

So that was a guy that I want to guess that that was a very good.

That's a good answer, good answer, no doubt about it. Hey, Cardinals game plan, Friday six thirty on twelve News. We'll get you ready for the game. In fact, speaking of mindset, let's talk about James Connor when we come back with Key Trell Clark on the Big Red Rage presented by Santan Ford in Gilbert This is a James Connor four yard touchdown run. Just do flat shovel, flat face as Jack Nicholson.

Flat shovel, flat face, that's how you run the ball inside the red zone. A little gold to go. Hand it off to James Connor. Let him find the light man.

That's what he did.

He's James.

Connor.

H flat flat shovel, flat face.

That's how you run the ball inside the red zones. I don't know how.

If you're familiar with Frank Kelly and know he's a nationally comedian and impressionist. He lives here locally. He joined Dave Passion on his Pash podcast. Okay, that's in our

I told him probably about two weeks ago.

Uh, you know me, And I was about to go for to tackle, and we can't tackle in practice obviously, but I was about to tag him off. And as I'm running to tag him off, I fear a big gussle Win go past me. I'm like, I'm like, oh my goodness, boy. I had tell him, I said, bro, I felt a big gust of win when you rare a pat.

He just thought it laughing.

I mean, he's been on this show more than once, right, and he's told us how he originally went to pitt University of Pittsburgh as a defensive end. He was in the same position room with Aaron Donald. There was a bowl game where he split a sack as a freshman with Aaron Donald, and then all of a sudden he was a full time running back. So how do you know you're in the NFL when a former d lineman is now a starting Pro Bowl running backs, Right, that's just crazy.

I knew that that was That's news to me. I didn't know that.

You guys are well aware that he's going back to Pittsburgh, Yes, right, hometown homecoming for him.

Homecoming.

How much did you guys feed off? Because a lot of times when he trucks someone, I see the defense jump up. Did that get you guys going?

Absolutely? Man, j C.

He's gonna express his emotions on the field by any means necessary. It could be we could be a ball at minfield and he just got a first down.

He's gonna hold.

If he trucks somebody and got the first down, he's gonna get up, celebrate, and the whole everybody better wait for him to get back to that.

You know, there's no doubt about it, man, I mean, this is what James Connor brings it. Man, he's got to get the ball, he's got to get the touches. You know, you gotta break, You gotta hand the ball off and let him attack the line of scrimmage. I don't want to go with the whole under center thing and everything else. Everyone knows how I feel about that BALLI I don't want to talk about it. Thank you again for me, James Connor needs to get a run at the line of scrimmage and let two hundred and

They do?

They do have some some guys. That's the lead over there, man. And the main thing for us is just for me at least, it's being a fundamental tackler. You can't run with any without any legs. That's what people my coach used to tell me all the time.

And you're not afraid, Nah, you'll stick it right into the fan.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm not really afraid at all by any means.

Bro.

Look, I'm not gonna get everybody. I don't want to get everybody motivated to play a game, right now. But that's how I'm feeling, and Sunday is getting closer. I might get a little round up right now.

I'm like, well, you going to Pittsburgh to play the Black and Gold. It's going to be a black and blue game. There's no doubt about it. James Connor knows it. Look, he didn't even play a home game high school, college and pros until outside Pennsylvania until he signed with the Cardinals. Think about that, and he's going back home and this week he told the me to just expressed his gratitude to the city of Pittsburgh and the Steelers for just what they afforded him.

M there's a lot of love there in the city. You know, I got a lot of respect for the people there and just love for them. You know, taking a chance, I'm gonn take an opportunity, even though when it's coming out, you know, I was done with all types of injuries and cancer and everything in the Stelers still you know, selected me, and so you know, I'm grateful for that. And then obviously the University of Pittsburgh. You know, it's one of one of the few schools

Think about it. He beat cancer.

They found tumors around his heart, He endured twelve rounds of chemo, came back. The Steelers saw that because they share the same facility, pitt and the Steelers, so they saw that firsthand. What he was made of. Yeah, how he came back and what sort of player in persony he is.

And as he know Paully, my older brother Craig of course, is the radio analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers and knows James very very well.

One of his favorite players of all time.

Craig's been doing that for what twenty three years somewhere in there, twenty three twenty four years. His favorite player, one of his favorite players of all time, it's James Connor because of who he is as a person.

And I'm guessing top five also would be TJ. Watt, who's going to be a Hall of Famer, and he's type for the league lead in sacks right now. And James Connor was asked, Okay, what does the Cardinals offense do. What's the key to getting past TJ.

Watt?

When you're running the ball.

Run fast?

Now, TJ's a machine. You know he's gonna make plays for sure. You know he's gonna stop. But he's one of the best in the game right now. So yeah, got a hands full with him for sure.

And look, it's a very stout defense. They're the number five scoring defense, so you know they're not going to give up a lot of points. They typically don't, which falls back to your defense, right ca you Trow You guys got to bring it.

Yeah.

Absolutely. The key for this week, like I told you, man, is we didn't better.

Now at the end of the day, we didn't come up Victoria's last week, but this week we've been grinding very hard to make sure that we are limited those disupposed to plays that we're not allowing up, giving more, giving up more points than we want to give up.

You know what I'm saying.

We don't want to give up anything, obviously, but you know it's the NFL. So we just got to play our game, man, and just go out there and just play ball, have fun and execute.

You know.

Obviously everybody knows we got a lot of rookies that's gonna be on the field as well. So man, just from us, we just got to play at a high level as well. You know it should be no drop off.

Yeah, George Pickens, what do you see from him on film? George Pickens?

George Pickens man, he's a he's a good wide receiver. I feel like, uh, you know, at the end of the day, he's gonna give us some good work. I'm gonna be able to better my craft. It's going to be more of an Iron Shoppers iron.

Type of thing. Okay, press cover? Do you want press coverage on that? You want press? You want off? You want a little zone? What do you want?

You trying to get to the nitty gritty. That's what it sounds like. I know I can't. I can't. I can't say the game plan. He's gonna just gonna be covered.

The media was hitting you up at your locker yesterday too about Deontay Johnson, Like, yeah, you you all of a sudden you went silent. You're not one to mince words, but all of a sudden.

I'm just more so when it comes to my opponent.

I just like to I love it.

Yeah, y'all gonna see when he is. Yeah, I don't like to talk too much.

I love it.

Now, what about Kenny Pickett. He can extend plays. You guys got to worry about his legs too a little bit, right.

Yeah, I played I played Kenny Pickett when I was at Louvo and he was at pitt and so I got the sparience playing him once. Obviously, he's a he's a little bit of a different player now. He's he's gained more knowledge, of course since being in the NFL. Man, So he's a he's a pretty good player.

Man.

We's got to come ready to play, you know what, Puli.

Honestly, I just want to say this quickly. James Connor and we're talking about James Connor. I'd love to see James Connor get the ball twenty five times and escape.

Seriously, hey, light up and hand the ball off and let him go to work on this because the one thing that cannot happen is that this offense, the Cardinals offense is one dimensional. You can't do that, not against this defense, with their past defense. It's too good.

Well, based on what he told us on his TV show this week, it's not gonna happen again. Just six carries for James Connor.

He will be featured.

Put it that way, Hey, everyone, how about U Special thanks Key Trell.

Clark, outstanding outstanding edition of The Big Red Rage presented by santan Ford in Gilbert's special banks as always, Jim Amandro, Cody Fincher, Matt Lazarus, Walt Ellis, Jason and Lawrence Ellis as well for Key Troll Clark once again, Ron wolfoy On, Paul Kelvicy, Hope you enjoyed a Key Troll.

We'll see on Sunday in Pittsburgh The Big Red Rage.

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