Cool. Let's do it. Man, Von Kidd Law got the kicks. You know what I'm saying.
All right, do you just consider yourself a defensive limit as a tackle where you want to Because.
I'm a football, football player, football player that I can tell you why, Because I mean I'm all over the field for for if you really cut the tape on and watch, you know what I mean. I'm twenty yards down the field, you know, and most defensive tackles they're not trained to do that.
You know. I like this, don't get us the heat before we start recording. I like that. We're gonna run that back. What's good.
Come now, this family, and welcome into the next man up, a very special version of the next man because we have one of our biggest signs coming into von killing. My man got the jewels, my man got the shade. You know me, how are you feeling? You're looking like money? How are you feeling after signing for that much?
You know what I'm saying, man, I'm blessed and highly favored.
Man.
It took a lot of it, took a lot of ups and downs to get here, but I'm here. Of course, I brought the whole fan with me. But I'm just I'm just so less to be here, bro, Like you
could never imagine, you know what I mean. And I ain't gonna really get into that stuff, but like, yeah, it's no words for it, you know, like just growing up, just growing up in Northeast DC to start my football journey, you know what I mean, going through the ups and the downs, the trials and the eras, trials and tribulations and the injuries and this that and the third people looking at you like you ain't gonna be nothing, you
know what I mean. To come in to this point where you could tell, you could feel if people really believe in you. It's just different.
Bro.
I give all the glory to God. You know, He's brought me this far and he gonna continue to prosper me.
You know, hey man, he brought you this far and your support system did as well. Like you said, you brought the family with you. Now for y'all can't see he became like ten twelve deep. He has family here.
But I told you before we started, I love seeing man, because that support system what's gonna get you through those hard times that you have mentioned, So being able to have your family pull up to this facility, a place that y'all probably you know you've thought about Washington for a long time because they're from here.
How special was.
It being able to share this moment with them, bring them into this building, and have them here when you sign that contract.
I'm gonna tell you because it's so crazy. So my rookie year, my teammates was Trent Williams and Jordan Reed. So I grew up watching them, you know what I mean. And for to circle back to me being here now, it's like it couldn't have It's like.
A movie, bro.
And at the time I'm doing it while I've been playing some of my best football and I'm looking to get even better. It's like, it's just I don't have no words, bro, I don't have no words.
Man, God's time sun exactly what it is.
So let's let's talk about the decision to come here, right. You know you're from out here, you grew up out here. What makes you decide to say, you know what, I want to come back home and be here because I know that it wasn't always easy while you was here.
I know you.
I know you left for a very particular reason. So what gooeses that decision to say, you know what, I'm coming back.
Well, first I'm out the way, you know what I mean. Being here is out the way from all that other crazy stuff. But Adam Petersbro He's always believed in me, you know, he's always believed in me. That energy he gives me, Like, that's what I want to work for, somebody that really believes in me. And Darryl tap you know, he was my assistant d line coach in San Francisco, so he knows me as well. They so they know
what I put into the game. They know that I'm always striving to be the best version of myself every day, no matter what. And it's just great to be around people that believes in you, you know, it makes you work that much harder versus you in a place where you don't know if nobody really believe in you. It makes it easier and make it fun. And then I could tell I could just be myself here. Some places you go you can't really be yourself because they might
look at you a little different. You know, Yeah, I could just be myself here, you know what I mean. I came in with my shades on, like not for no particular reason, but that's just my thing.
Like, so when you have those conversations with Adam Peters leading up to this, and even when you sign, what is his expectation for you?
What is he saying, Yo, we need you to come in here and do this.
Are you guys having those type of conversations.
Just just the physicality, the violent play style that I have and the natural born leader that I am. That's that's kind of some of the things. But he also just wants me to keep transcending, you know what I mean. Transcendent descending one of the two shows, you know what I mean. But he just wanted me to keep going up and up. You know, who knows, who knows what the type of player I really could be, you know what I mean? If I just keep getting better every day.
So and again, like it's a no brainer when somebody believe in you like that, you know. I but I just bring a different type of demeanor to the game, you know, and that comes from the environments, some of the environments that I had to grow up in, you know. And I wear it on my sleeve and I'm proud of that, you know, because when I'm out down that field, it don't really matter, you know, I could just be whoever I want to be, and it shows.
It's probably beneficial for somebody like you to be under a head coach like dan Quinn who has that defensive background, a defensive line background. When you have conversations with dan Quinn, I'm sure it hasn't been too many, but the conversations you have had with him, what stands out to you about out dan Quinn and getting to play for a guy like that.
Well, you could tell he cares. Not not too many I'm gonna keep it real, like, not too many people really care about you for real, but you could tell he cares, you know. And I'm big on that type of stuff because I care, you know, I want people to care like I care because I care a lot about my job and the way I'm seeing and you know that type of stuff. So that was a no brain. I probably talked to him probably fifteen minutes one phone call, and I just knew I wanted to play for him.
You know, it was crazy. And everybody always say, oh dan Quinn, man, you would love to play for dan Quinn. Like I've heard nobody say nothing bad about dan Quinn. So man, I'm blessed that he chose me to be on this team.
You know. So there's other free agents we've had sit here have said something kind of similar that the outlook on the outside is much different. The perception of how you guys look at the commanders of what's going on here has changed throughout the last years. Can you give a little glimpse on your perception of this building before you even came here and what this team was doing.
I mean the skins, you know, you know what, Yeah, I'm a real fan though, Like it was the skins and there'sn't a lot going on, but they changed the whole everything changed, and as soon as it changed, the improvement was drastic, you know what I mean. Like you could see it. You could see it just watching like even when I'm watching field like damn, Like you could tell everybody care about everybody, everybody want to play for
each other. You look at like something like like the short down and distances, you know, the way that they want to you know what I mean, the way that they want to get that first down or stop that first down. That's what you want to look at, you know what I mean, how they blocking on the field goal field goal and how they rushing on field goal block. Stuff like that, the stuff that not people paying attention to, but that I'm looking at because that's really going to
tell what type of team you got. You know what I'm saying. These boys get down over here, Bro, they get down.
And that is by design. That is what Joe Junior wants from his team. He wants dogs like you get down. Ready to get down?
Now?
Joe Jr.
Only Had his first year's defensive coordinator last year. This is his second year. How excited you.
To play under a guy like that?
Because even though this is only second as defense coordinator, he has such a storied history with success when it comes to defenses and secondaries. Now he's taken over this defense and done a great job. How excited you to play under him?
I'm super excited.
Bro.
It just looks like to me, he turns to d lion loose all they do. That's what I like. Like, don't tell me too much. Just tell me to go straight and I'll make everything up on the back end. You know what I mean. But that's what I like. That's the environment I like to be around. I know it's gonna be challenging. But that's gonna make a break you know what I mean. Shit, Man, pressure make diamonds, you know what I mean. And I'm a dominant the rough man, real talk and javar Man. Yes, your story
is so heavy. Man.
We're not gonna get into that now because this is about a celebration. We'll talk about that because we got a lot of time to talk about that in the future. However, all the things you have been through, You've mentioned being cut, you mentioned all these different things.
Did it put a chip on your shoulder?
I mean, Bro, I came into it with a chip. I came into it with a chip. I came into this game with not too many people being like me, and it's hard to fit in when you stick out like a sore thumb. So everything, it could be the littlest thing, I take it personal. You know, that's just me, Bro, That's the environment I grew up in. I grew up in the house raised by two women, but like six boys, you know what I mean. So everything is, everything is competitive,
everything is you don't never want to lose. So I take everything personal. And I've always had a chip on my shoulder my whole life. So this football, this thing called football and the grand scheme of things, it's really nothing to me, you know what I mean. I love this game though, but there's really nothing compared to some of the things that I went through.
You know why.
That's why in the long run, I'm gonna get them all. I'm gonna get them all in the long run. And I'm standing on that.
And everything you've been through has led you to this point where you come in here and sign and.
You said it.
You talk about that chip, you talk about those motivation of being overlooked and being through all the things you have been through. Well, now you have a team that says we're not overlooking you exactly. We're gonna give you the bag. We're gonna give you three years of that bag.
We believe in you.
So now that you're in cause this is this is rare territory for you. You're not used to being in a position like this. When you think about that, where when you draw motivation from now knowing that you have this team that supports you, that wants you here.
All them people that's out there, bro, my family, you know what I mean. I like for them to be able to see it disclosed. They're gonna be able to see it on a day to day basis. That's gonna drive me. That's gonna drive me even more, you know what I mean? They only they only really see me on TV. They don't really know. They know that I go hard, but they don't know what I put into the game. They don't ski it. But they gonna see. And that's gonna drive me every day. Like I got
to show them how to work. I got to show them how to show up every day because I've already showed them. No matter what they say about you, it don't matter. Just keep just keep moving forward. And I can't wait to show them that, you know what I mean in real life. I can't wait for them to see that. So I'm telling you, I can't wait. Bro, give me goosebumps. And it's not just your family.
It seems like you can't wait to show this fan base who you are, to show the NFL who you are. I seem like you're posted a story somebody dam it was someone along the lines.
Is just wait till you see it. Y'all don't know what y'all got to y'all see it, right?
How important is it for you to make a name for yourself out here and show the world why you deserve this back, why you deserve this trust that this organization gave.
You because I'm that guy for her, for her about I'm that guy. It ain't too many cats like me, and I could say that confidently. I just know that in my soul, most of these dudes ain't been through what I've been through.
Bro.
It ain't even about proving nothing to nobody but my family and myself. The fans they gonna, you know what I mean, they gonna get to see it too. But I just I don't really care about that though. I really care about my family, and that's it. Like, I don't know what else to say, Like, I just I just want them to know, like I'm here and I'm gonna do what I gotta do so they can see it firsthand. But the fans, man, I'm just I'm pumped about the fans too, because I know hopefully they're gonna
love me being here. They gonna let me so that too, you know what I mean.
That's as good of a mic drop as any right there. Man, I think that's a great space to stop. You gotta go celebrate. You got the family here, man to celebrate all the hard work you put in.
Man, made it to this moment, man, and you've earned this. Brother.
Congratulations Yvon, thanks for killing what this man and honestly, Rap, I feel like the Commanders fans will be real excited to see what you do on that field. Commanded fanis this is his next man up with our new guy Heimothy Java kid Law. Brother, thank you for your time man gngratulations, appreciate you.
Bro's definitely