14. Chandler Jones on maximizing his talent

to come hiller to So what's up? Let me tell you know what, would Devin mccordy tell you, man, we don't take naps, man, That is true, and he would tell me to shave my head as well if you were kid the hairline check. No, how you been, man, You've been killing it out a z. I haven't been able to play with you in a couple of years. Has been has been a journey, honestly, but Arizona has

been has been tremendous. Even with this season. It didn't end how we wanted to to, obviously, but we definitely were headed in the right direction and we had tim plus wins and and hopefully you know whoever I'm playing for the next year. We can build on that. And that's the question. I mean, you're the guy. I mean, you're you're going into Fredency. So you've been traded, you got an ascension. This is your first time hand Fredency.

That's so funny that you said that, because I was just on the bus with a few other guys and uh, you know they're asking me about you know, what are what am I gonna do next season? And you know, I said, there's a lot of different things that I have to think about with with me, for my personal with myself, and this is a time where I could, you know, really focus on myself and what what fits

for me, you know, being a free agent. Uh, in my ten of eleven years of playing football, I've never had the opportunity to, uh to pick what scheme I wanted to be in or what kind of defense. You know, I've always been handed to, you know, not complaining, but you know I was drafting to the Patriots, and then

I was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. And you know, while I was in the Cardinals, I had about three different defensive coordinators, a lot of different defensive coaches, and I never had the opportunity to actually say, hey, this is what I want to do. I've always been handed.

So this is gonna be very interesting for me because I get to pick what scheme I'm gonna be in, and and uh, you know that's one thing that's gonna be a huge thing of my decision or what I want to do, is you know what I what I would like to do if I would want to rush the pass or dropping coverage or whatever we want to do. So, um, it's exciting for me. And uh, this is a great position to be in. And I wouldn't want it to be any other way, right, I mean you look at me.

Look we came in young players, your draft the year before me. We kind of grew up together. You're somebody who's won a Super Bowl. You're somebody's who's been the highest paid player in football or defensive player in football at the time. You set the market. Um, now you go to freidency and you're talking about schemes. So you know, some players have made good money in their career and I've set the market, and they say, at this age,

I care about winning. I care about championships, and so I care about Some players have one championships on their career and say, hey, I gotta care of my family. So where do you rank it. I think when you're going to fred this, you gotta figure out what's gonna make you happy. And it seems like you're talking a lot about schemes. So how does that list work for you in terms of money, scheme and obviously the ability to play in championships because you're fortunate to check a

lot off right right. And you know, that's funny that you pointed out that I said scheme, because to be completely honest with you, Logan and I'm telling you this being my friend, it's not about money at all, Like you said, where I am in my career. I've gotten the contracts, I've gotten the super Bowl, But but I think scheme is huge or or for me, it's winning more championships. Like I'll say it again, it's not about money. I will say. I will want to go to a

place that maximizes my talents, I would say. You know, I I say, in my career, there was a lot of times that I caught myself out of position, you know, and it's I I do take the blame, but at the same time, it's like, Hey, should I have been doing that? And uh? And I think I have enough comfort where I am in my career at this age to say that. Um So, I think when it comes to my decision, where where does Chandler Jones become Challenge Jones?

Where could he make smizes his challenge? I mean, I think there's a few times you see it this season where you're like, what who is this guy? We won five sex against your old team? Right? I know you hear like if I was, like, he's laughing about it? Yeah, So I know, I'm pretty sure you'll see flashes of it, and I'm pretty sure there's period of times when people might say, oh, why is it disappearing? Where is this going?

Not to put it on just a game plan, I'm sure there's a lot of different things that goes into it, but I think going into free agency, I'll say this again, what team maximizes Chandler Jones talents? Well, look, I know a team you know, I'm your friend. I know a team that has a decordinator, you know, and Pat Graham has a new head coach, you know, and Dable he's recruiting. He's just kind of big, has a big market place might need some help on the pastor us, so I'm

sure I'll be in your ear. But for the New York fans as listen to this, if I don't pitch to get Chandler Jones in New York, got to do my job. He's been. For the New York fans that are listening, he's been doing this not just on camera on Twitter, actually going to his trainer through and shout out to Brett Fisher, the guy I've been going to

for all my rehabs in my career. He went to his Combine gym, and I wouldn't be here going to my tenth year and have any of the success I have without Brett Fisher out there in Arizona, who Chandler now trains with and has done great things. He's helped a lot of players behind the scenes. There's just so many people that go into our um to go into

people's careers that you need to thank. And Chandler will be thanking them when he gets his Hall of Fame speech one day, because he has a hunter plus stacks. So tell me, tell me the art of pass rushing. Man. I'm just curious, as as as a fan of football, what do you think about because I think you know, I know you, and I know how you walk around the locker room and make everyone do one on one pass rushing with you and always joking about it. But it's all you think about. To tell me what goes

into that week and getting a seconds that tackle? What? How do you break it down for the viewer? Yeah, I sleep dream pass rush and as Logan said, any opportunity that I get, it's a mental RiPP it's to walk through. I'm always trying to go through pass rush. But I think, honestly, I think I've mastered it. And not trying to be arrogant, but I just I think they say you have to do something a hundred or ten thousand times and you're becoming a master or whatever

that quote goes. I've I've mastered it. I think I think there's time, there's different there's a lot of different components into actually getting a sack. The biggest part of pass rush is actually setting the guy up, no matter who you're going against, and I think I'm a huge believer or not rushing the name, but rushing the body. You can say you're going against Trent Williams Andrew Wentworth Taylor Luan. I don't go against a name. I don't

really know who I'm wanting is. I don't really care for. I think there's guys that have longer arms or different sets than the others. But at the end of the day, I think it's all the same. It's all about setting a guy up and actually catching him on his off foot when it comes to power. But those are whole different things. But I think I've definitely mastered pass Russian. I love doing it. I think I could still do it for a long period of time. Now, who is

your um? Because you said it's not about name, it's about bodies. Who plays the position that the tackle position? You know, who's the best player? Who who who's really good with their skills and not maybe the biggest name or or whatnot. I'm always impressed by a guy like David bat Who's he doesn't even watch the pastor he watches the ball and gets to his set. And then so I'm going against Chandler Jones at the end and I'm not even gonna look at him. I'm gonna get

to my spot. That's how confident or or how his process work. I always thought that was interesting. You know to see how he goes And so who are some guys as you think, are really do it the right way and really tough at what they do. I'll say too, And one of the guys is one of the guys I was going against every day in practice. He's here at the probo DJ Humphries. He's a guy that I

think he's definitely came a long way. He's actually understanding the position of offensive tackle posted just out talenting and out musclim people. Um, he understands that there's a lot more to it than just you know, the physical game. And of course Trent Williams and you know, of course he's an All Pro player, But to actually go against Trent Williams, I'm I'm speaking to the guy that actually

has gone against him. Um. A lot of people speak on ESPN and they speak on NFL films about all this guy's an animal, he's a monster, and that's what they're seeing. And I'm a player that actually gets a chance to actually lock up with this guy and tie up with him. So what they're saying times ten seriously, and uh, he's a hell of a player and he's a guy that honestly, Um, there will be times in the game where some of my moves won't be working, and I will say, hey, I'll tell the guy that

plays the other side, Hey, let's switch. My moves aren't working, Let's go. And he's just he commands that kind of respect. He's a hell of a player. And and uh, Trent Williams is probably one of the one of the guys that I would want to play against the lease on an imposing team. Yeah, I know, I heard, you know when when Kiddles saying that Trent Williams best player in football and you see his feet, you know, I think the best football player is all about your hands and

feet regards the position. His feet are silky like a corner at that size. That's just a rare, rare thing that you can't teach. Um. He's born with and he worked at and he's and he's mastered it for sure. So I see these like pass rushers, right, he always,

you know, the draft hypes up pass rushers. And I don't know how you slipped to the bottom of the first round, of the middle half of the first round, or whatever, but you see these You see these pass rushers and they come in with one move, right and they come in a rookie year and can't get a sack. So when did you develop your two three? When did that come? Where you came with your counter moves? And I always relate to pass rushing as you would probably knows boxing or m m A where you need to

kind of set guys up. Like you said, so when did you start coming with that? What'd you come in with? And then when did you develop the next couple? Yeah, I feel like, obviously it's kind of obvious, but what I came with came in with two now is night and day. And I know you say I slipped to the bottom of the first round in the draft, but I only had ten career sex in college, so I think I thought I went up and I had had

a third round grade. But the forty four A seven logan always has the tough trash you could ever just ask questions. I love this guy, but but honestly, I think it really clicked. I think my fourth year, my fourth or fifth year, it really clicked. And and I could say this at year ten. There's a point in time and everyone's career where it's either you love football or you don't. There's gonna be a time, and it happens in a lot of NFL careers that could happen

in college. To me, I think I I think my fourth year I really studied the game, and that just shows my love for the game and not just studying the game, but also studying myself. I think I stopped kind of trying to really just out athletic people and kind of just trying to duke him out and really study steps or studying what to do at the point of contact and study length and stab swiping a certain moves. I think one day in practice, I think, goes Man Patricia,

you know, you know, Maddie Pete. One day in practice, Mamperatrician said, hey, run to this spot and stick your inside on arm out, And I'm like sure. I ran to the spot and stuck, and a guy fell in his butt. He fell in his he literally fell flat in his But after then, right after I started doing that, I kind of started just working with that move and doing different things off of it. Run to the spot, stick my arm out and swape, stick my arm out

and spin, and that was always the counter. So to this day, I literally kind of just kind of just still run to that spot and stick my arm out, and it's been working a lot for me. It reminds me of something where I saw Kyrie Irving and they're showing his handles and like, all right, Kyle Irving is one of the best ball handlers in basketball, like put them up with any debate, and he's got it and he's doing all this stuff, and he's like, I really only do the same three or four moves. I only

practice the same there or four dribbles. Is just I know how to relate over how I combine them is what merely makes it looks crazy or how to maenipulate your defender. But he didn't go out there and practice nineties seven different basketball dribbles in and one mixtape stuff. He's doing his same three or four fundamental moves he just does. He's mastered how to layer him up right, and then everything off of that is is either reactionary or instinctual and per se. So yeah, it's the same thing.

It's the same as a thing. So I know some of this has to has to come some of your training or some of how you you know, understand spatial awareness has to come from your brother. Obviously, John Jones, and you both your brothers art. So what was that like growing up with another brother in the NFL and other brothers the baddest man on the planet. Um so, so how was that from childhood to where you are

now in that bond. Yeah, Well, being the youngest, I have the opportunity to actually learn a lot, you know, you kind of you learn from mistakes in from the success. You know, I see my older brother do something and have success with it, I'm gonna do it, and and vice versa. It's not working for him. Well even with even to be example, leaving early for the NFL draft, you know, my brother had the opportunity to leave and he didn't and I saw that, and he actually got

injured and fail lower in the draft. I had the opportunity to leave and I actually saw that, and that was opportunity. I said, hey, you know what, I'm gonna go because I don't want to go back to school and have the same thing happened to me my brother. So there was a small example. But even growing up, it was very competitive. We always compete who can run to the frigerator of the fastest, who could eat their

bola possitive the fastest. Everything was a competition, and I think that's what credit to a lot of our success today, just just being competitive, that competitive nature. I remember, so you know, you're at the Pro Bowl, You've been to

a bunch of them, you've been a Super Bowl. I remember after we won our first Super Bowl together in Arizona, or at the afterpart and have whisk Leith and all that there, And I didn't realize how big the Super Bowl is until you're not in it, right, because when you're in it, it's just when you're a f C Championships blah blah blah blah blah, NFC Championships, it's just bubble. You don't even really know. You got your year in

the season. And then you go and then like all right and limit all distractions, and you go and you play the game the games where we know, the pace of the Super Bowl is a little slower with the commercials and the halftime, but do what you do, right, that's just what we know. And then you win the game. You're like altists, we're gonna turn up. And then at the after party, I see your brother, I think he had triple H. And I grew up a wrestling fan, and you start to see some of the musicians there

and you're like and they're dapping you up. You're like, man, I'm taking shots for Triple H. I'm like, damn, this is a big deal. Like I'm twenty three years old, just won the Super Bowl taking shots with John Jones, and you remember that that was real? Remember that, I was saying into So even though that was my brother, everybody else in that room, I was just like, even Rick Ross was that back there. I don't know if you remember that. Yeah, that was a good time. That

was really a good time. So these guys that since you man, I'm really like, you know, I'm really happy for you know, these you know, some teams go all the time, but to see different teams go and see those guys experience them. I mean, those guys go entire career without Super Bowl Me and you can talk about the memories of that season and and and you know, just like like it's nothing to us. It's and you win it, and then the next year you just move on, Like it's like the rings in a safe and you

just move on. You don't go around talking on the super every day. So the realities of life, it keeps it moving. It is your is your ringing a safe where you gotta replica somewhere? What you got going on? My rings in a safe? Saying I got a replica sitting in my little shrine at home though, but everyone yeah, ring replica, but people pick it up and I tell him like, it's the real thing, but it's not the real ring. You just gave it away. I got a

trophy replica. I got my trophy. I got a ring replica. I didn't do that right away. I didn't get the trophies. I was like, man, I'm not paying. I was like, I wanted to. I wanted the trophy, Like I don't you know only you know only the team gets to get the Lombardi right. So Den mccorey is like, man, go get you a replica because one day you're gonna do charity events. You're gonna be podcasts going in your

office behind your people. Don't have it. So when I wanted the second one a couple of years later, I was like, can you make the first one too? So you got them, but what they are I don't see him down both in this house, man, I got I got a multiple homes and this logan Ryan Fellers from my I took this guy into my wing and now he's talking about something not in this house. This is crazy to me. So I'm proud of you. I want

to give this guy a hug. Listen, man, I see these stats come out man every year, the most most sacks since blah blah blah, the most blah blah blah, Chandler Jones, Aaron Donald, t j whoever. You know, Uh, Robert Quinn, You're always at the top of these lists. But I feel like you're slept on. Tell me, do you feel underrated or or you're not slept on? But you're not Defensive Player of the Year every year, but you're you're having more sacks and these guys every year.

To me, to be completely honest with you, when we were teammates, I think I would I would have felt like I was underrated for sure earlier in my career to be like, oh, you know, I got these numbers I got. But you know, when you when you have the opportunity to win the Super Bowl and uh and to actually get a contract where you don't have to work anymore after football, you know, of course I want.

There's other goals that I want, you know, there's I never want Defensive Player of the Year, all these all these things, I don't wait too heavy on them, to be honest with you, think like you're saying, these numbers don't lie at the end of the day when you look at the numbers, just like, all right, this guy don't have a Defensive Player of the Year. But these numbers are crazy. You know what, what what do you do?

So I know what it is. And at the end of the day, I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing, regardless of the accolades. That's just that's just how I was raised, That's how I am. So uh, it definitely drives me to play, to to to play even harder, to play even better. So that's even dangerous. So it's gonna make it look even more crazy. So I'll keep balling and the accolades and keep not coming. But Julian

Jones is gonna still go get You're gonna get them sacks. Though, What was that year like in the Red Sea out there in Arizona? I mean, if it got off to a great start for y'all, obviously, like explained, but it seems like Arizona hasn't you know, Actually, you know that they won Um maybe ten years ago, and the fits and all that when they wanted to when they were

out there with their Super Bowl years. So what was it like to get that back there and the kind of get that fan base going obviously with the Phoenix Suns, the whole Phoenix area. You love Arizona that I love. Arizona is nothing. There's no place like Arizona. Promise you. The fans are great. Even when I got traded there, I mean they embraced me with open arms that they were happy to have me. I mean, it was the transition.

Even the players, I meant Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell. So I remember my first day there, Kalaris Kembells in the in the cafeteria said hey, come sit down. I'm gonna show you where you stay there, where you want to live, where you gonna he I mean, they had this committee with players that the kind of just grabbed me as soon as I got there, and and their fans and and even coach b A and even the owner that I mean everyone, everyone just they did a good job

of actually making me feel welcoming at home. I actually bought a house there, only my only one house I owned one house, Like, I'm like, uh, I got Logan here, but I actually bought a house there, and uh, like I said, it's definitely a place where even after football you would want to kind of just go back there and kick it. So it was a good idea for me to get a house over there for sure. I mean, it's a great place to train. The weather, obviously, it's great,

great people out there. I've been familiar with it just for my career of spend a lot of time in the off season, and I just don't know, I think it's something great for the people that are listening and how much time we put in. So when you when you finish this Pro Bowl, um, what is your off season look like? When do you kind of start training or do you stick right in And how does it go for you at this point? Yeah, you know, I

felt really good after this season. You know, I don't know if you know, but I had I got COVID during the season and I missed two games, and for some reason, when I came back from COVID, my body kind of took like a second win, like a recharge, and I like even going through over the year, like my body felt amazing, So usually I will take I'll take a break from working out before I kind of get into working up because I will have to recover

from the bumps and bruisers for the season. But I feel like offseason chain right now, so I think I'm gonna go right back into it. I'm gonna go book over at x OS and and I want to go right back in the training, the pilates, the weight lifting, and and you start building back this this body for for next season. Yeah, and obviously building into fredency and and and that's gonna be exciting for you. And that

possible change or possible come back. It's just I think, you know, as you know, I grew my family, right, have two kids, and I have a wife, and all these moves you talk about, it affects. It affects, uh, everybody. Like the reason why I two homes, right, I bought the house up here on from New Jersey, went back to the Giants, thought a house here, and I was like, I'm gonna go back to Florida where my home's at.

And and being a warm and trained and this and that, like up my daughter first grade, that's not her best interests, you know, it's not her best interests. She's been we've been dealing with co but obviously the last two years been homeschooling the kids, and and now she has a friend group, and now she has a little girl click, and now she's in first grade. She's doing well in school, and you don't want to pull your kids out of school. Uh So, it's always things you gotta think about more

than you know. When you're young and just say I'm gonna go here, I'm gonna go to Vegas, I'm gonna go here, I'm gona train here, I'm gonna go try this out. It's like now, as you get older, your priorities kind of changing the sense where you make your work very true, very true, especially I think in my situation. Um, you know, it's easy to say, you know, this is your free agent, free free agent year, go out there and ball out, but there's a lot of different components

that goes into that. You you know, it's hard to say there's a point in time during the season where I didn't think that where am I gonna live next year? Well? Who am I going to play? For? Thinking about that when you have no kind of like a security or you know what I'm saying, it's a that mental state of football, not just playing the game, but just knowing that your family. I have a three year old, you know what I'm saying. So there's a lot to it. And like I said, this is a very exciting time

for me personally. And uh, I'm glad that you know this season is over unfortunately, and then how we wanted it to but for me to walk off to feel healthy and and uh and the way I did, I can walk up with with with my chest and my chin up for sure. Now you're in a hundred sack club. What does that mean to you? To get that milestone or just that elite you know, elite pier surrounding just an elite status of a hundred plus secks. A lot of guys played this game. The durability that consistency needed

obviously has to span over eight ten plus years. How does that? What does that speak to you? And what does that mean to you? It means a lot to me, honestly to get a hundred sex I know what it takes to get a hundred sex um and even the percentile people of active players right now in the NFL, everyone else that has a hundred sex in the NFL. I think are all in the draft class in front

of me. So I think that puts me and myself in a category awards like and I even I missed the whole season last year, So I think that puts me in the category where it's like, wow, you know, everyone else has a hundred sex or had a year or is it or two years ahead of me. But I think that that puts me on on a strong pace. And I don't like to play the pace game because

you know, you set yourself up for failure. But when you sit back and you look at the numbers, when you look at my numbers, it's a good feeling to look at for sure. So one fifty end goal is it? What is the You're not putting a number on it. Only God knows. Only God knows only God. I don't know. I don't know. I think I'm at one or seven

and a half right now. So you know, I started this thing off by saying, you're one of the best you know, teammates I played with, and obviously in New Wing that we had a special locker room, which I think attributed to a lot of on field success, and I think a lot of us learned from each other how to be great pros. A lot of players in that locker room have played nine ten plus years, different organizations, Captains and different organizations, leaders and different organizations, walk to

the payman of year candidates and different organizations. What do you think you learned playing under Bill Um, playing in that locker room for the first couple of years of your career that you kind of took with you just

your New England days. Well, one thing, one thing I really admired about Coach Belichick is that I felt like he didn't just care about the football player part of you, you know, I feel like he he made sure that you understood the importance of the people around you and not just your teammates, but you know the jenitors and uh, Bill, when we first got there, he uh he would literally put and you can you can um you know this.

He will put pictures of these people up on the on the screen and these would be jenitors, these would be the people that work in the cafeteria, the nutritionists, and he would ask the rookies and the new people around the facility, who is this And he made sure the rookie you know who the jenitor was, who what

was their name, where are they from? And I think doing exercises like that, it goes a long way because I carry that, I carry that to this day and think about that's all I knew, that's what was instilling, instilling to me as a rookie. But even to this day, I sit there, I talked to the genitor, I sit there and have a conversations just become from that exercise.

And I'm ten years in so I'm pretty sure there's a lot of different exercises that that he did that kind of carries with you to this day, to the other teams, and it kind of spreads throughout the throughout your the organization. Yeah, I think. I think the versatility obviously moving you know, moving guys around where they want to or not, makes you learn multiple positions, learn the defense,

learned the scheme from, you know, different positions. When you can teach your position to somebody else, say now do this. It's not like I'm playing for Pat Graham right now, the same New England defense and I've started all five spots in the secondary, both corners, the slot, obviously strong safety, free safety, and it's nothing you know, I've played it, but I'm able to see the game for all five spots, you know, and that's rare. But I was kind of raising that and that was my that was my edge,

was my versatility. So I think moving players around challenging players. One thing I always remember is um O t A s how will be out there with no jersey number right and you had to literally say, hey, Chandler, watch the crack Blob. You know, I forgot about that. That was fifty five, you know, watch the Cracker. I had

to say your name. You really had to communicate, and and that's what goes into obviously football is communication and goes into any type of team building atmosphere, whether at work what No matter what you do, you gotta know who people are and be able to communicate with them. And I also feel like that itself and made us more family oriented. And I feel like when you're on the field and you're about to go in the war with someone that you see it as your legit brother,

I think you will play harder for that person. You will go to extra almost like the movie three hundred when you when they say you protected you, you hold your shows a little bit to the right, so you're not just protecting yourself but you're protecting them in next to you. It's almost like the same thing. And doing things like that where you're kind of getting to know the person more and you're calling them by their name. Ultimately it makes the team better. So you came up

when you're in Arizona with that air guitar. Yeah, I felt like, did you did you do that? Like, we're on the Patriots and you did that against us? Where did that? Where did that come from? Where does that celebration? Even? Where do you think of that? That's something o them because you were trying a lot of different stuff. I was. I was doing a lot of things. I was dancing. I know a few other guys were throwing shade on my dance move, so I stopped dancing. Chest bumps. I

was going up and you remember that. I've been chest bump you a few times. Even jumps after a second. It's a lot of jumping everyone on the team. But I don't know, honestly, it just came to me. I remember I was playing the Jacksonville Jaguars and I had a huge TfL in the backfield they had They ran a counter and had a tear feel, and that the way I got up. I was already under knee and it was just perfect. I just like to spinning my

arm and it was a thing. And I got to sack the very next play, and I was like, you know what, I want to do this again. So I realized every time I did that, I started making plays. So it became almost like a superstition. And even if I made a tackle, I think, even if I do my air guitar whatever you wanna call it, to spin around, I'll make another play. So that was the thing behind it. And uh, I kind of I didn't do that at all. I didn't do it, not once this season because this

was more of a business season. So a lot of people ask why don't you, why don't you dance any Why don't you do your little spinning around. It wasn't about that this year, but it was. It will definitely come back, for sure. It'll definitely would definitely be a time that you'll see the air good tower to spin around. So your body's feeling good, You're in a good place. Um, another Pro Bowl. Um still playing at a high level. You're ready to go to all suitors. I'm excited for you. Man.

The sack master can still do it consistently, Hunter and seven sacks. Appreciate that. I appreciate you joining me, man. I'm glad we got to break it down with people. What goes into it. Obviously, it's not just you out there and get sacks right. You have to study, you have to prepare, you have to think about it, you have to almost live it. And there's someone who I literally see do that all the time on and off the field. You're talking about sacks and pass rushing and

joking about it and being serious about it. So I just think you're a true mass of your craft, man, And I'm glad you got to break it down for people. Yes, sir, I appreciate you. I appreciate your time, my guy. So go take that and that man, I will. I'm thinking that so ful. I'm gonna see you know. I love you. Yes,

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