1-on-1 with Phidarian Mathis | Episode 14

Payne and Jonathan Allen. Matthis joined former Washington linebacker Rocky McIntosh to talk about the draft, his motivations, and what heap brings to this Washington team. Rocky McIntosh here, I'm with Fidarian Mathis. We're gonna talk a little football man, try to get to know you. Let's get it. Let's get it all right. All right, you got a nickname Mans because I'm from the South Nate they called Rocky. Everybody called me big Field. Big Field. Who gave you that?

My grandmother game in line, so you know it's crazy though. My dad name feel, my grandfather name Field. So as a young game running around, I was just a little field. Yeah. Uh, and then I just became big field. So that's how I got the name field, I feel, I feel. So how was it like getting that call? Man? Man, it was crazy. Uh. I really couldn't. I couldn't get my words out of and know what to say. All I could say it was you know, yes, sir, yes, sir. So I mean it was it was very very like

I don't know, I can't describe it. Man, it was. I feel like it was already life changing because I waited so long for it. Oh man, was it a dream? Since being little? Did you play Little League? Girl? Thinking about this most definitely? Uh. I really never thought, you know, how far football could take me until I got to high school and I found out about what college can do. So when once I say once I got in college, that's when they hit me yep. And that's when I

started taking it more serious. In this drive, I can see like we had a lot of different guys. We got wide receivers that were basketball players. We got some of your old linement over there, you know, showing verbs and splits and all the other good stuff. Man, what are the things that you'd like to do sports wise? And those sports wise, No, I'm really just a football guy. Man. I played basketball, cardio, but I ain't like I ain't this.

Football has always been my thing. You know. I tried a lot of sports, baseball and basketball and a little bit a track, but you know, football was always the one that stood out to me. So that's what I stuck with. All Right, you're d linement for life. Where you're playing D line. I always been a D line been on the other side. You didn't want to took

that being man, Nah, I'm so big. I was so big so game days like you gotta find some inspiration out there, right besides Nick setting the tone beside some of those older guys setting the tone until you or older guy, what are you going out there and playing for? My daughter? I got a one year two year old daughter now, she's just turned two years old in February. So you know that's my why I see the reason why I do this. She's a reason why I go hard. Yeah,

and you know, also just a love for football. You know, I love football, so h I really don't need a motivation because I love the game. But yeah, you know, she's she's the one I do it for. Also, O man, that gets me intense. Family plays a real big, strong part of who I am and my character and what you know. I tried to you know, come here and bring and really stay in touch with the community that way.

Also before I had kids, that was my uh, that was my wife, just going out there and helping the community being where I'm from, where I'm from the South, and you get seeing little kids look at it to me and things like that. Do you have, um some charitable things that you want to get out there and start doing? Oh yeah, most definitely. You know, throughout my freshman year in college, I already started, you know, get even back. Sure, I started, um you know book back drives, yeah, way,

school supplies before the school you'll start. So now I just want to you know that I'm on a bigger level. I just want to expand that, you know, and just be able to get more back now, you know. So that's that's one of my goals though. All right, all right,

let's talk a little bit of football. Man. So when when I was playing, you know, I would see everybody getting the signals from the sideline, Say you see the d lineman, they're getting that signals that come in and one of the signals are a little shimmy right here. That mean games? What kind of games? If coach says go out there and running, you know, a particular game, it's up to you, guys, make that call. What game

are you calling? I mean it depends on what I'm lined up and yeah, from the d tackle order, you know what I want to be the end. But but yeah, it depends on you know what what what what are you're running? You know? My favorite game is you know, one of the tim games. Yeah, well you know I'm probably picking the center and the other tackle coming around. Yeah, that's one of the biggest games I'd like to run.

That's cool, man, because I watched a little bit of your tape and I what I see throughout your career is just the use of hands. Like I'm surprised you probably a good boxer too, because the way you use your hands, man, it is awesome. I mean you can go from inside the outside, swipe, fake, swipe up and

under whatever it is. I feel like you have the ability to make those moves and not only make those moves and progression to the quarterback where get there and causing damage also by swiping at the ball, getting the ball out. Really, you definitely a verse it out in that area, man, for sure. You know that. I think that's just piggyback off of them just being an Alabama player. Sure, you know day one that's what we that's what we started at. You started working to run and hand use

it at Alabama. So you know that's day one stuff for me. And that's something that I grew on, you know, over the five years I was at Alabama. So, Man, the more I look at your story, I see it kind of resembles mine because I was around drop pick here, um higher up. I was the guy who they wanted. You're the guy who they wanted. And you know it was kind of surprise to you, right because you thought your agent that you guys are gonna go later, but bam,

who you are the second pick? Yeah, you know what I mean, you know, I really it just was expectations for me. She was sitting up the expection expectations for me. You know, she wanted me to prepare for the worst. So you know, she kind of always knew that I go second h you know, somewhere between there, but she she wanted to put it in my head, you know, just to make sure that you know, I expected at worst.

So yeah, but throughout the process, man, you know, throughout the process, all you hear is, you know, I feel like I was slept on. You know that they talked about me being a seven D tackle. Uh, you know, I was a third fourth rounder. So that's what I believe. You know, That's why I told everybody that I felt like I was slept on. So you know, but I'm here now, So good man, I see Sears repent the CEO as a Cathain. Um, you're last year Alabama or maybe before then? What did that mean to you and

what can you bring to this group of guys? Because there was a funny thing that I saw. I saw that it was kind of buzzing on the internet that Ryan Tannehill said that you know, he's not a he doesn't have time to mentor some of these young guys. Yeah, I feel like at that point, or being a veteran, it's your job to go help others so you can be more collectively grow and be great as a team. So how do you feel like you bring that experience for what you learned in Alabama here? You know, in

my situation, the guy that played Alabama. They already here playing and Jonathan Allen, so you know they've been my big brothers already. So you know, with me bringing in leadership is I don't think I have to do it just yet because I'm gonna be looking up to those guys as big brothers and hopefully them leading me. So but you know, with me being a leader at Alabama, you know that just you know, just you know, separate me from a lot of guys and you know, and

add more value to my background that I say. So, but you know, I don't think, you know, I got to just be a big leader. My role is to come in here. I don't know I figure out for you before when I came here as a whole bunch of great guys, a bunch of you guys who were dipping right in Florida, just plucking them, plucking them. But now it's all Bama man here at the commander, So I hear you. Everybody a little Bama around here. So you know, sam'ma Brainer, Bama energy here, Brainer, Bama fly here.

You know, just I'm gonna feed right in with the guys. So all right, man, well I appreciate your time. Thanks for talking to a free r for all your commander's news and analysis. Be sure to tune into Command Center weeknights at five ten pm on NBC Sports Washington. And while you're at it, follow at Commanders on all social media platforms for the latest on the team. Hail to the Commanders.