Welcome to the Command Center Podcast. I'm Braam Weinstein, Lak Charlie Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, three players who wore the Burgundy of Gold that ended up in Canton in the Hall of Fame. But what if I told you none of them in the first three seasons of their career statistically matched with Terry McLaurin has done in the first three years of his career. McLaurin is either first or second on the Franchises all time list in most receiving statistical categories.
The guy who is ahead of them sat down with mcclurin for an unforgettable interview. Terry McLaurin, What I can't believe I'm sitting here with your brother. I've been watching you from day once since you got here, and you know what, you're starting to end a truth all my numbers. Man surpassing me, and that's the best thing I've ever heard. So it's a pleasure to meet you. Man. Tell me
a little bit about today on what you're feeling. First of all, it's great just to be sitting with you and we're talking and you're one of the great receivers that's played in this franchise. So I just to be mentioned in the conversations with you is humbling for me. So I appreciate that. And this is a really exciting day, you know what I mean. Like coming from a player, you know how hard it is to get to this moment,
you know what I mean. And a lot of people think, just we first get drafted, that's the end all be all, and it's a great day, but that's when the real work starts. And you know, to be drafted to this organization and to be able to become a leader early in my career and to be able to be productive and things like that, you know, it's a testament to the hard work and that I've been able to put in and the support that I've had. So to be able to share this with my family is just it
brings it all together, you know what I mean. It makes those those days where I just you don't necessarily know sometimes or you know, you kind of have those those setbacks and you just keep grinding through it, you know what I mean, You keep praying through, or you keep working through, and you lean on your support system and to finally be at this moment, you know, it's kind of like an exhale to a certain degree, but that you know my mindset, it's kind of like, Okay,
now that this has happened, I'm just ready to get back to work and show that I can improve my game and get it us to where we need to be as a team, because you know, when you were playing, there's so many great things that you guys were doing amongst this organization and set the table before we're at today. And I know we have a good group of guys in that locker room that really want to get this organization back to where it belongs. Dude, you are on point.
I loved you. I loved you before, imagine now I love you even more so. To understand the history of the game, the history of the franchise, to know who came before quick thing. Did you know this though? None of our hall of famers And we got some great hall of famers, right mom, Charlie Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, three of the best I've ever seen in this franchise. None of them put up the numbers in our first three years that you put up. Wow, So that ain't tell
it's going Nobody put up those numbers. But you how do you feel about being in that category of player in this franchise. Yeah, I mean, that's that's why you play the game. You want you want to be one of the best to ever do when you hang up
your cleats. And I think, you know even more, what motivates me is just I want to win one of those that you got on your finger, you know what I mean, like genuinely, And I think through those team accolades, you get the individual success and you know, just to be those guys you see, you know, around the Ring of Honor in the stadium, and um, you want to
be a part of those guys one day. And I'm fortunate to have some early success in my career, but um, I still take that day when mind set that when this camp starts at the end of this month, where I got to earn my spot again. You know, I mean, I'm that kid that is still hungry and it has feel like I need more to do, and I genuine
believe that I just don't say that. So I'm excited to get back to work and try to continue to earn you know, the respect of you and people around the league and my teammates and my coaches each and every day. So hopefully one day when it's all said and done, then I can be sitting here with another young player saying what you're saying to me, Oh man, you are Art did not speak that way, where Art didn't ever talk at all. You remind me a lot of Ricky Sanders in the guests, Like Ricky was just
a natural talent, hard worker. I think you remind me of Ricky y'alls reminding myself, natural talent is Ricky like that's Rickie was just a natural talented guy. I mean, quite honestly, he had to do anything. People still spectacular. I'm a grinder and I see that you still grind. Yeah, I see that. The leadership came your first year, your first year. That kind of obsessed me to because I just start my leadership to my second year in the league.
But to have the locker room and the respect of the locker room the way that you have that must make you feel extremely proud because you became a leader from day one. You know, you show it with your play and then you should it with your words. The play came first to me, which is the most important part. The play came first, and then you should it with your words. And you can see how the team rivals
around you when you speak, they listen. It's on your third year in the league, just to be your fourth year coming up. But how does that make you feel? Yeah, that's a great question, and I think you know, a lot of coaches and mentors I've had have seen those leadership qualities in myself, but I never wanted to appoint myself as that leader. I always saw myself as a guy who wanted to work hard, be accountable, be on time, be somebody you can depend on the field, depend on
off the field. Not being perfect because I make mistakes, but just understanding what the standard is of this organization or whatever team group I've been a part of, and just trying to uphold that with my actions. And then you know, over time, people wanted to kind of hear more from my voice, and you know, sometimes you hear leadership just some kind of some people like tell people
what to do or dictators. I didn't really want to be that, but I've kind of noticed that my leadership style is just vocally is you know, just continue to uphold the standard of which we're trying to create this culture right now, and you know, if we're having a tough day at practice, getting those guys up and encourage a young guy who may be struggling, you know what I mean, picking myself up when I when I may not be making the place I need to be making
in practice of showing the consistency because you know to who much is giving much as expected and you have to bring it every day as a leader, you know what I mean, And you can't pick and choose your days. And I'm still growing and learning. I think I was very fortunate my first year to learn from a lot
of great guys. Have an a killer to be my receiver coach at the time, Morgan Moses, case Keenum, Vernon Davis, Adrian Peterson, Like I got to learn from some ogs, you know, That's why I'll call them, you know what I mean, and who've been around and had a lot of great success. So I really got to learn early when I was here to see what it looks like, what a leader looks like, what that feels like, how guys respect and respond to that. And I wanted to just be myself and I think I've just continue to
try to grow in that role. And you know, I think with the other leaders that we have, I don't think he's I don't think it's just me. I think it's really nice to have another group of guys that you could depend on to help lead this group. Because everybody has different leadership styles, but you put them all
together and you have a great group. So I'm just looking to try to continue to earn that respect from them each and every day, you know what I mean, like to so they know that Terry's going to be dependable. We also know he has our back and he's gonna give us everything he got from first day of camp till last day of the season. And you know, that's so nice to hear because when I played, you know, the general public they believe that the quarterbacks the leader,
the middle linebackers a leader, safety of leader. They look at a position way right. But what we found that when we won, it's because we had eight to ten leaders on the field that all the players will look up to and understand. Like, what I loved about what you just said is you can have somebody to come pick you up, and you can go pick somebody else up, and you can complain to somebody. Somebody can complain to you and it's not taken out of context. They're not
mad about it. You'd be like, yeah, I gotta get my button, gel, I gotta get going. And that's so nice to hear that the leadership is starting to volte and turn that way. So I love with the direction that the team's going to be going. I love anytime that a receiver gets paid. I love that, especially when it's the Burgundy and go. And you just are so
much more than what I expected, you know. I mean, I understood that you could play, but meeting you, having a conversation with you to see how you carry yourself to where you present yourself, and what I did get from day one is that you're passionate about playing. And that's why I liked you right off. That's why I loved about you right off. You're passionate about playing. You do not like to lose at all. And you see that you got another receiver coming in here, rookie coming
in here. I kind of like him too. Starts and I kind of like him pretty good. So I'm wondering if you guys going to have the same chemistry as like Art and myself had because Art, I came in art with you right he was a person who's been here. The offense was built around him at the time the passing game runs. Our passing game is built around you, as it should be, because you're the guy that they know, right. I was talking about your love earlier today. Anything that
comes around you, you bring, you come down. I mean, you got some of the best hands I've seen in football. Ye, if a bass high over my head, I was trying to get my chest up there so I could still body catch that, bad boy, because I didn't have to trust in my hands. So when you have to trust in your hands and you literally grab everything that you can't, how did this come about the wy you always out
way or did it come over time? Yeah, it's humbling as you say that, because talking to Julie just not too long ago, I was speaking about that was actually one of the weaknesses in my game. Kind of my ball skills in college is something that they really wanted to to see me improve on if I wanted to be able to play at this level at a high level. And um, you know, I was a body catcher and still, you know, I still at the end of the day,
I'm like, just catch the ball, you know what. That's always in my mindset at the end of the day. But I think there's there's time in this game where the separation UM's so small that the dbs are getting bigger. They're bigger, and separation may be hit to hit, but if you extend out with your hands, you can be able to bring that ball in. And that's the difference between a touchdown, the first down or the punt team and the field goal team coming on and um, I
think it's just practicing. Then I really got into college and I started developing these drills with a tackling dummy that the the Alownman used with a jugg machine, and I would start shooting the ball a little above the tackling dummy, catching it over, making it hit my hands, just putting myself in really awkward situations, because if you really think about it, the juggle machines, I think it is great for receivers, but I think also you have to create drills that kind of really put you in
game like situations, Like if you were out on that field, you never, rarely you catch your ball. You're just catching it and you're just standing there, nobody's around your arms grabbing. So I've really tried to create drills and scenarios that emulate the game, and then going into practice really trying to emphasize that. So if I have an opportunity to you know, make a contested catch, I'm treating it like a game. So when I go in the game, I'm
not necessarily think about it just becomes habit and routine. So, um, as you continue to start making those plays, I saw myself making those plays more and more in practicing in games. It brings your confidence up more so now it's not am I going to make it? Now you just confidently go up there and try to make that play. And so um, it's really exciting, you know for me to continue to improve on that, and you know, to have you know, a low drop percentage and the contested catching
success that I had last year. But I'm just just good with that, you know what I mean. I think if you don't come in with that same mindset for this season, then you could change just like that. So just your second, your second point of having Johan and the guys that we have, I think I take I take pride in being you know, I'm only my fourth year, I'm only twenty six, but I'm kind of the older guy in our room, and you know what it kind
of looks like, and it's hard. It's hard to to play in this league and to do it consistently week in week out, like you know that, like you have to bring it every single week. And so you know, I have no problem leading our group and being the guy that takes the run of that, but I also want guys around me, and I think we have those guys in our room that can make plays and it's not just on one guy. We all can make plays. And you have to respect all the guys on the field,
you know. I mean, I think that puts pressure on the defenses, and the best offenses you see in the league have multiple weapons. So I'm just gonna try to, you know, share as much wisdom as I can with him in our group and push them, and I know they're gonna push me. And we're gonna have a competitive room, you know what I mean. I think we're all going to compete to try to get better and come Sunday, we're gonna be the best group we can be for the quarterbacks in our offense. Um, so we could try
to score a lot of points and make some big plays. Well, I tell you what, Man, I just want to say congratulations again. It could not happen to a better guy, a nicer guy, a smarter guy. See, there's a pleasure meeting. That's what I call it, tam Mac. It's a pleasure of being you. I hope you get to know you a lot better in the future. Thank you so much for allowing me to have a few words with Thanks appreciate,
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