First Team All-Pro Vikings LB Eric Kendricks Joins The Lights Out Podcast To Discuss His Expanded Role On The Vikings Defense.

important position on the fields quarterback. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get I get that part, um, but it's it's something about a linebacker, especially a linebacker that UH is all over the field and sets the tone, um, the energy, the anchor of the defense. And we got that today with Eric kendricks Man. He's UM just a hell of

a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings. And you know, I would ask him about a bunch of things because they got some new faces in the locker room, obviously Patrick Peterson and UM, you know a bunch of new faces in the locker room. But for him, you know, he's a guy that's a vet and he's known UM and he's been the leader and the anchor for that defense

for some time. So how do you split time with the guy like Patrick Peterson who was walking into the locker room with the name and the reputation, and um, let's find out if he's to go to night and let's find out what he thinks Patrick Peterson. And this upcoming season, I'm probably getting to some NASCAR too, because I've seen him at the Fontana races uh this past season. So uh, Eric kendricks Man, let's get into it. Yo. When would you would you get back for the k

you just got back? I got back Friday. What would you go again? I went to UH, I went to South of France, and then I went to Barcelona. If anybody asked me, what was my favorite place to go to the country in the in the world, South of France, you went to like it went like Monico Santrone. Oh. Man. So the first time I went out there, I went to UH. It was a Grand Prix, right, they had the Grand Prix out there, and then they had at the end of the week they had the World Music Awards.

So I don't know, I don't think they still I don't I don't know if they're still doing that, and not especially because of COVID. But man, when I tell you that, I was like at some of these parties they had the Jimmy's the Club. Jimmy's out there, they had um the billion the Billionaire Club. And so I'm out there and I looked at my left and it's like Tom Cruise. I looked at my right and I'm like for real, and I'm you know, I'm coming from

I'm need from East coach Man, Like, I'm not. I'm not using this type of ship, you know, I'm not. You know, I mean like Brad Pitt's over in the corner when Angela and Joe Lee Paris is DJ, I say, what what then? Is what's going on in my life? Yeah? Like how how am I in this? In this in this space right now? But but but you know, it's crazy, man, Like they all of them, they knew who I was. It's the weirdest and I just was coming off the rookie the year and all the other stuff too. But

they were all like, you know, football fans. Yeah, I find that, you know a lot of a lot of people you know watch football. For us, it's just kind of like, you know, we feel like we're kind of small fish sometimes. But the random, most random people you know are fans. So when we were at the NASCAR track, which with that what Fontana? Yeah, I got my NASCAR my Jeff Gordon all right now see that that's why

I'm gonna ask you about that. So it's when we're talking about other sports or fans who ever know who you know, know, football players, did you was you tripping out? How many NASCAR fans and people knew who you were? Because I've seen people coming up to you left and right when we were there. Yeah, definitely, Um, I think that, you know, especially especially in l A. You know, obviously Minnesota is different. I feel like I'm in Minnesota like fans approached me often, but when I'm in l A. Uh,

it's not really that way. You know. I can kind of go about my business, to kind of go go into the radar and do my thing. But at sporting events, you know, I definitely noticed that, you know, fans would you know, whether I didn't think it was gonna happen at the NASCAR event, but it wasn't like that. You know, if I'm at a basketball game, you know, maybe you know some people will will know, or hockey game, you know, but NASCAR, I didn't really expect that that. That's what

to That's what got me into the sports. The two thousand and eight they had been to come out to be the Grand Marshal at the racing Fontana up and I went up there and I was about to wave the flag and they announced my name on the on the endcom and the in the place when it's forty thifty thousand people out there, place went crazy. I was shocked. I was like, I went in the shop, bro I almost dropped the Dann flag when I was when I

almost dropped the Dann flag. And so I didn't know that NASCAR like the like the correlation between the two fans, with football fans and NASCAR, it was kind of crazy. No, it's cool, Man's it's it's sports in general. You know, it brings people together. What got you into it? Man? Because I knew we talked about you. You know, obviously you had the love of cars and all that, But what what got you into like NASCAR and watching that? Honestly, Like I used to watch the growing up. My buddy Joey,

he was a big Bobby LOBARTI fan. You know, Tony Stewart, um, you know those guys. Uh, But I was always a Jeff Gordon fan, you know, growing up, had all the had all the little cars and stuff. Um, but you know I had hot wheels. I had the hot wheel tracks. I had r C cars. I would go out on the weekends and and build and race our C cars and break them in and build them again with my older brother Chad. So um. You know, ever since a kid, I've always wanted a lot of cars. I've always been

into cars. Um. This past offseason, i started, you know, working on cars myself. So it's it's always been I've always had a love for cars, no doubt. So have you have you got into any of the nascars yet, like physically got into them yet? No, I haven't. The closest I've been to the NASCAR was at that event and we were in the garages and stuff like that. That was like right before lockdown. Um, but uh yeah, that was the closest I've been to like getting in one.

It's they're huge NASCAR fans in Minnesota though, like like Mai, no doubt there's the Minnesota fan base, but just there's a loyal there's a loyal fan base. They know they know about every type of score, every every every team type thing. That's dude, That's why I wanted to ask you about that because, don't get me wrong, like when I played for the Charges, we had great fans, but mostly because we were winning. Were whipping everybody ass, right, So when it's not hard to come to the game.

We got Ladany and Tom was in the Philip Rivers and Tonio Gates and you're looking around it's Lorenzo O'Neill. You know, we got eleven Pro bowlers on the team, so obviously a lot of people will come to the come to the game. When I got to Buffalo, I said, okay, we were like oh and six, oh and seven when I got there. When they when I got released and waved and I went to Buffalo and the fans were like it was thirteen degrees outside and there were no

shirts going crazy. Yeah, I've never I've never liked until this past year when we had COVID. I've never liked played in the Minnesota game where it wasn't like sold out, was it. It wasn't rowdy like the fan base there is crazy and and and uh, you know, like you said, you know we've had some up and down years for sure, but the fans have always said, you know, you had your fair with the fans who kind of go you know who, you know, hate on you one time and

love you the next. But for the most part, it's loyal it's loyalty and when you see him in public, it's all it's all love and and it's it's been it's been solid. Man. It's a great fan base. That that's so when I when I used to walk in the streets in Buffalo, it was different when I played for the Charges. People would you know in San Diego, when I come up to l A, they will try

to get pictures and sneaking. I might be at at lunch or some with on a day and maybe I might be in the corner with the camera trying to take pictures. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live in Buffalo, Pepe. They were tapping me up. They just love It's just it's just some people will really be like, hey, Kendricks,

I love you, man, Keep doing your thing. You know we're behind you. Take care. I don't want to like they don't want nothing from me. It's just it's just they want to just show me that love, and I love that the most interaction that's end up well, that's why I end up resigning the Buffalo to be honest, man, because that that fan base was something that I never really got a chance to experience. Like that's a whole different type of love out there that that they have,

and you it makes you kind of a way. You start to feel. I mean, obviously, you know the sport, we're all getting paid and stuff like that, but it's start to make you feel conducted for them because they they're really like rooting for you because they when they were born, they put on a Minnesota Vikings beanie and you know, like they grew up that's what that's what

they were doing. No, Yeah, it runs deep and it goes for like all the sports teams to not just like it doesn't stop in Minnesota, like you know, they they're loyal to the city. So so how how was that, man? Because you talked about y'all having you know, the up and down years, and obviously y'all had like some few heartbreaks and stuff like that happened, and then too obviously when when my boys step on my turp out there, Stefon Digs was there? Um, how was that? Man? Like? Who?

Because you guys got some vets out there, right and obviously you're you're one of them. Who's the who's the vocal guy for you guys? Man Like when everything was kind of hitting a fan and wasn't going right, who was the who's the vocal guy? At least on the defense? Anyway? Um, you know, we've I've been around so many guys who were just leaders, not just natural leaders. You know. I feel like, um, they do a good job of bringing those kind of guys in, you know, ever since Griffin,

you know, Lin Vau, Joseph Harrison Smith. Um, I remember Terence Newman. You know when I got the first got to the league. He was one of my locker mats, like two lockers over. And the knowledge that he shared with me, just as far as like watching film and just like how he carried himself was huge. You know. Um, just being around guys like that, Um, it's it's just

you could you can learn so much from him. But also you know, you gotta you gotta start you know, as I'm I'm at my seventh year now this, you know, you gotta start fighting your own way as well. You know, you gotta you know, different things make you tick than than you know the next player. So you gotta start knowing your own role within within the things and and

and doing what you know that you do. Well. You know it's crazy, but that you mentioned Newman because well, how many how many years you played with fifteen sixteen something like something crazy, thirty thirty four, I don't know. Hey, let me let me tell you a story about Newman. Okay, it was I think it was my second year in the league, and we were we were there for offseason

workouts and everyone we were in the basketball gym. It was like after the workout, we were all went to the gym where we were just playing against each other and everyone starts dunking, like everyone starts, you know, one person dunce and that's what okay, Now we're like having a dunk contest. This man, Terence Newman, I don't even know how, Like he's older than everybody. Obviously, this man was either doing like a three sixty windmill or something crazy,

and he missed it the first time. But everybody was just like whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, like like like calm down, like we get it, we get it. You got it, like you got it, bro, like yo. But see but see that's the thing though, Like that's so I always trying to figure out like those guys that stay in the league that long, like the Charles Woodson's of the world, Like like these dudes who stay around thirteen, fourteen, fifteen plus years. Right, And you say your lacker was next

to him. Do you remember like any conversation that you had, because I remember talking to Donnielle was you know, Donnielle was playing like sixteen seventeen years and I'm like, you know, how how do you at this position? Especially? I mean, you can do it that while I received you cornerback or something like that, but to be playing that long as a linebacker, the physicality at all position is different. Did you get a chance to talk to um, talk to Newman about any of the stuff and how he

was able to stay in the league that long? Oh, definitely, Um. I would say that he was just so smart as corner you know, UM, any any position where you have, you know, you use your intellect more, you know, especially you start transitioning into your knowledge of the game. You know, your film study that the things you've seen and then

applying those to the actual games. And just like, let's say he gets beat on the route, but he knows where that receiver is gonna go, and just having just the balls to like undercut it and just meet him at the at the at the apex of the route like most people would just start start taking the receiver. And but he was just like, manu it, I know exactly where he's going. I'm just gonna meet him there. And just to see that on film was was just

mind blowing. But he trusted himself, he trusted his ability, and you know he did it at a high lovel for so many years. Who who who y'all got? Everybody got clicks right on the defense like sometimes linebackers go hang with the linebackers or you know, dbs gonna hang with the dbs. Who Who's like if you had to have made three or four guy you around on that on that defense most of the time. Man, Because we we met meet Sean Phillips and Stephen Cooper were like

the three students. We always were together. You are you around bar like that? Like Anthony, Yeah, I'm around a B for sure. You know we went we bet to go back from college, and probably Harrison Smith, you know for sure. Um, you know I have other buddies you know who aren't on the squad right now, that we were all kind of close, but I would say those three the most for sure. Y'all. Are y'all constantly competing because that was those my boys. I love the death.

But we were constantly, man just competing, like all the time. We if I remember one time I went in and Sean Phillips had a sack. The guy was going down, the quarterbacks going the guy who were playing the quarterbacks going down. I got my hand in there, right, and so they didn't give me my half a sack. And so the next day, like on Monday, I'm calling the league. I had my agent to call the league office, and I was pushing for the half of sack and I and they gave it to me. I'm talking about sp

was so sick and he was so piste off. Did we split that sack? That was I think I was three yea, my third year and I had twelve and a half sacks. I got that half of sack because I put it in. Do y'all ever have that kind of competition going on? Because I always find that most most teams, most teams that have that kind of competition where you're always trying to compete against each other, ends up being the best teams on and off the field. Now, you know, I want to say, you know, we all

kind of play different positions. I don't really rush the pastor like that. So like you know, as far as getting sacks and arguing and things like that, but as far as the standard that we we hold it to each other to on the field, like there's been times where it gets heated, you know what I mean, it gets you know, we we demand a lot of each other and and when something's not going right or when something's not being communicated or something like that, like we'll

let each other know right there on the field. And no matter how it's communicated, you know, it's not it's not really like it's not suercoded in a sense, you know what I mean. It's just like this is what's happening, Like pick your ship up, like let's go. You know, maybe you're dinged up and come on, we need you like a like suck it up, come on, like that happen.

It happens a lot, and uh, it's it's good being around a bunch of guys who are so competitive and and have such a high standard because it only elevates things like you you know, if I'm like, let's say, i'm i'm I'm I'm playing the game and I'm doing my assignment. But you know, Anthony or Harry, you know they're playing next level. You know they're they're they're they're they're killing stuff that you know, they're they're they're they're balling.

It makes me, you know, Okay, you know, I'm not doing anything crazy, and I'm not stop trying to do anything like I'm not trying to do anything extra, but at the same time, like I need a step, I need to I need to elevate to where they're at. So it's it's it's definitely infectious. I would say that's a good word. Infectious, No, for sure. And and it shows, man, because oh you know what they always noticed with you.

To me, I think you the best cover linebacker. And I mean in the in the league, man, I mean, I think you can run with anybody down the scene backfield. Man. Every time you look up and if the ball bounce up you there, you always round the ball and to me that that just shows, you know, and I don't know how vocal you are with the guys obviously, you know, like I got got got a lot of guys watching. But for me, that just shows what kind of defense y'all have, man, and y'all got a lot of changes

this year coming up to right. Definitely defense out of the ball. Have you have you got a chance to to meet everybody or because when they walk in the locker room, they already know what you've done, they know your body of work. But have you got a chance to meet all all the new faces and people to come on? Yeah, definitely. You know we were there for a few weeks in the spring, but you know, like you said, we have a lot of new faces. And I was just talking to Digs about this the other

day and we're working we're working out. You know, it's kind of you know, you get you get familiar with a lot of people around you in the locker room, and you know, people know what you're capable of and they know what you do. But one thing that I'm I'm excited about this year is you know, I'm with the I'm with a bunch of new faces who haven't

really seen how I operate. They haven't really seen me in game and game mode, and they haven't really you know, they don't really know, you know, I got that killing me, you know. So it's like I'm anxious to show them what I got in me, like improve it on the day to day. And UM, I think that's exciting, you know. I think it's exciting that I get to go out and I got to show Patrick Peter said, what kind

of player I am? You know what I mean? Um, I think it's exciting, you know that I get this opportunity yet again, have you have you got to um chance to talk to Patrick yet? Yeah? You know, we chopped it up in the locker room. He's you know, he's go yeah, No, but I know gotistone. I know Gotist thrown around like very lightly nowadays. No, man, But you're right, though, You're right because you know so many

people on the goat everybody. But he he is, he is that, you know, he's one of the guys may have been around and been doing it for a long period of time. Has he um, because I know sometimes where you've already made a name for yourself on another team. And he walked in the locker room man and kind of you know, share some light with with with with the younger cast. Is in there or is he you know, kind of just meeting everybody and nobody. You guys haven't

had a crazy team, uh settings just yet. Yeah, I think he's taking more of a humble approach. But you can tell about his work, I think, you know, and what he's kind of done, um thus far. You know that he you know what he's kind of about. So you know, I'm like I said, I'm excited to see you know, It's it's different on on Sunday night. It's always different. It's always different when the lights come on. Uh. You know, you could you can have all the preseason

games in the world. You know, you can do this and that, and you can have all these great practice reps, but you know, it only counts when it's live bullets. So you know, I'm excited. That's dold Man. And so so what else? What else you got going anything coming up? Charity events, you know, any businesses you've got coming up? And you've been kind of putting your time into, um, yeah, a little bit, a little bit here and there. I'm I'm I'm my business. I've been starting my own business.

You know, I got my own little l LLC and stuff. Um, stay tuned on that. You know, I'm not really gonna you know, I'm I'm I'm still kind of keeping under wraps until I get it more developed. But um yeah, you know, just just learning. I got a few paintings that I've been doing. Um, I was just about to ask you about that. Man. That's when you've got something crazy going on back there. I can't see exactly what it is. Oh yeah, that's mine right there, but I'm

that's on my wall. Uh but uh, yeah, I've been working on a few I've worked on, Like I have like three that I've been working on this offseason, and I've kind of been having fun with um not it's it's for me. I have fun with it, but I do end up, like you know, trying to sell them for charity at some point. So um, yeah, you know the gonna keep doing my thing, dope, Broy. I appreciate.

I can't wait to watch it this year. Man, y'all got a squad and then um those new faces man jump when they asked early you know what I'm saying, like, make sure I believe honestly, Like the way the way I operate. I don't really feel like I have to do. You know, I'm so high strong when I'm not on the field that it's not it's just yeah, you have to get with it and get lost, like you know. That's what's up. Hey, do I appreciate you coming on man, No, you got stuff to do, man, and good looking out.

I'll reach out over Texas something soon, all right, take care of thanks. Guys listening into another lights Out podcast and me saw Marian and I had no idea that Kendricks was that much into cars. I know I've seen them at the NASCAR event, but you never know how much guys into cars and NASCAR and things like that until they do. You get a chance to talk to him about them, right, Because you see these guys on Sunday, you obviously know they spent a lot of time in

the practice field and getting prepared for the season. But you know, sometimes I just like to find out what the guy's hobbies. What do you like to do? And the see he has that fascination and that interest and and and not only cars, but NASCAR was was awesome, man. So I appreciate you guys listening in to another lights Out podcast with me Seawan Merriman. Keep leaving those great reviews, keep liking and reposting it. Man, those those reposts on social media, I get a chance to see it, and

a few are listening to the podcast. So you see anything going on, repost, tag me on social media at Seawan Merriman, and uh, We'll keep going, man, We'll keep coming up with some great ones. See you next week.