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Speaker 1: The time is now.
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Speaker 2: We got no time to wait.
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Speaker 1: We got no games to wait.
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Speaker 2: We got to go out here and fly around.
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Speaker 1: And make plays.
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Speaker 3: This is the Bucs Players Table.
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Speaker 1: Y'all know what time it is.
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Speaker 4: It's time to go fly around.
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Speaker 3: Brought to you by Hooters. Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. Bucs on three. One, two, three. Now, Tampa Bay Buccaneers team reporter Casey Phillips.
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Speaker 2: Welcome into the player's table from the Ticketmaster studio brought to you by Hooters. The original wing joined since 1983. Casey Phillips here with my co-host Donovan Smith, and we are joined by none other than David Walker. David, thanks for being with us.
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Speaker 1: Of course, of course. Thank you.
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Speaker 5: Welcome.
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Speaker 2: And man, we got a win, which means we're going to have fun here today and not just any win, like a whole boy win. That was unbelievable. First of all, only the third time in team history that we've won by at least 30 points on the road. Tell me just what it felt like out there during the game, maybe even like the week leading up to it that could help explain just what it felt like and what shifted and clicked for y'all.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, man.
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Speaker 5: Like, like when we went to Dallas, I feel like on the road, man, we've been playing our best ball. Um, it's been, it's been exciting to see the coach bowls. He's, he's always keep the standard standard. And I feel like the standard is what we did today. We kind of slid off a little bit last week, but, um, man, we have some good leaders in our room. Like AR, he's, he's on our head every day about the little stuff about like when we do red zone at the Friday at practice, don't let them in the end zone. Like those little things carry over. And it was big tasks for us on special teams and stuff like that to, to finish, to get a turnover. Like those big plays, I feel like it, it pushed our offense, our defense to something, man, we ain't seen since a couple of weeks ago.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, I don't think I've ever watched a game that was more truly all three phases to like.
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Speaker 1: That's literally a complete game.
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Speaker 2: A complete... Special teams, offense, defense.
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Speaker 1: I think everybody scored, huh? Yeah, we did. Everybody.
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Speaker 2: All three phases scoring is crazy.
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Speaker 1: Can't get any better than that. Can't get any better than that.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, and also, how nice was it to not have a one-score game? To, like, it not be a down-to-the-wire, everyone sweating heart rate up. Like, how different did that feel, too?
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Speaker 5: It felt good. Man, sitting on our victory team out there, just seeing... Just seeing everybody, like finally our shoulders are released a little bit. We still got a lot of work to do, but it was good to get a divisional win.
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Speaker 2: So also now, I mean, tell me what meetings felt like. What happened the week leading up at practice? What were some of the things that you feel like you now can look back on and say contributed to what you guys were able to do?
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Speaker 4: Oh, and the plane ride back. You got to talk about that. The plane ride back, yeah.
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Speaker 5: Man, leading up to it, like I said, we keep the standard standard. We know that it's just us against the world. Like, everybody voted against us to lose, and we didn't really look at it like that. We just looked at one another like, all right, we got each other back. And like I said, bro, we got good bets in our building not to let us slack, even though the record looks like that, but that's not who we are. And the playing right back, it was cool. It was cool just seeing everybody finally, like, smiling and, like, finally seeing that type of joy of like, man, this is what winning feeling like.
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Speaker 1: And we just got to keep the run going.
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Speaker 2: Absolutely.
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Speaker 1: We love that.
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Speaker 4: I only ask that because, you know, it is a lot different on a road game, losing, and then the playing ride back, everybody is trying to, you know, figure it out and, oh, you know, all of these things versus getting a win, let alone a big win like that. And then, like you said, everybody is relaxed, having fun, enjoying it.
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Speaker 1: The vibes is good. You know what I'm saying? Might have some cards, might have the, you know, all the good stuff.
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Speaker 4: Everybody, you can't sit down, you can't leave yet because everybody's standing up type of thing, you know.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, you already know.
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Speaker 2: That's pretty funny. Tell me about getting Baker back and what that did for the team. I know the man only had to throw the ball 11 times, which is kind of handy, but just kind of what that felt like knowing he was coming back too.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, the atmosphere was different.
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Speaker 5: You know, having your QB1 back, the guy that's, Over the team, when he goes, man, we all go.
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Speaker 1: It's just a little, all right, let's go, D-Walk. We need you right here. All right, let's go, defense. Get us a stop. Give us the ball back.
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Speaker 5: That little stuff, the encouragement that he gives throughout the whole thing, it gets us going.
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Speaker 2: All right, Donovan, we've got to talk about this run game. I mean, good.
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Speaker 1: What run game should we ask? We're talking about the run stop or the run game?
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Speaker 2: We did all of it.
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Speaker 1: We're shooting both ways here.
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Speaker 3: We're doing good.
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Speaker 2: All of it. So let's start with your bread and butter, the offensive run game where all three backs had big moments. And then, of
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course, Bucky just going off like Bucky's. We've seen him do so many times. What did you see from the offensive line perspective and then also the running backs themselves? What led to this and how can we continue it, replicate it?
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Speaker 4: Obviously what you saw was the runs get called. I think it was probably about 40-plus runs, 49 I think it totaled out to be, which is unheard of in my, you know what I'm saying, to me to where like I think maybe the most I probably would have had was 25 to 30.
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Speaker 2: But music to an offensive lineman's ears, right?
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Speaker 4: Music to an offensive lineman's ears to sit there and run the ball that much. You got guys who, you know, big, athletic, strong, powerful to, you know, get movement at the line of scrimmage. So to be able to have them individually do that as well as working double teams, it's huge. And as you see, they're able to have patient backs to be able to pick the hole or even hit the hole and get through there. But to be able to share that experience between all three backs is amazing to where, like, that doesn't happen often. And they're hitting off good runs and two TDs for Bucky and then.
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Speaker 1: What's his name got one. So, like, we get money.
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Speaker 4: But, you know, for them to be able to keep drilling and moving the line of scrimmage.
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Speaker 1: The way that they were, they're going to get tired.
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Speaker 4: You can't, you know, you keep getting leaned on for 49, 49 reps, you know, the defensive line and everybody's going to get tired. So hats off to them to be able to do that and got to, you know, carry it over.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Keep it trucking.
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Speaker 2: We're talking to Donovan Smith and David Walker here. Offensive line wise, first of all, A, you had Ben Chukwuma in there instead of Luke. Now, again, not a lot of pass pro situations, but tell me what you saw of how he was able to step in there. And then also just, do you see this offensive line has finally maybe hit the stride? If you, if you look over the course of the season, do you feel like now it looks like this is something where this is the line we, we thought and knew we could have?
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Speaker 1: Absolutely. For sure.
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Speaker 4: As the season goes on, I mean, this is probably about the mark where everything starts gelling and meshing together. So a lot of the mistakes and things of which, you know, happened early on, you know, they're, they're kind of being corrected and everything. And then now, you have those individual players being able to take their game to the next level and focus on the things that's, you know, being given to them. Not so much not saying you're not focusing on technique, but like let's focus on the game plan a little bit more. All this stuff we worked on is, you know, second nature now. So for them to be able to do that is amazing. They just got to keep plugging away and keep going with it.
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Speaker 2: That's right. And so, of course, now we had to touch on the offense and the run game and all of that, but we got you here. So let's dive a little bit more into the defensive part of the game. Tell me just kind of big picture when you look at the defense and, you know, when you guys are going to be sitting in meetings watching the film, what do you think is going to stand out most?
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Speaker 1: Just the physicality.
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Speaker 5: Man, we take the run game serious because, I mean, you can't rush a passer without stopping the run. So that's the big emphasis every day. We knew, like, going into the training camp how good our O-line was. So we knew, like, man, if we can stop them, we know that, man, we got a pretty good shot at stopping everybody else. So I feel like We got some little tweaks and stuff that we always can get better at. And I feel like that's the little things we're going to fix. But overall, man, I think we're doing pretty good.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. And we got to talk about your guy, Yaya. First of all, I mean, wow. Like I know he had been just the not getting a sack yet had probably just been eating at him. And then he gets three. Like you get a hat trick in a game for that. Tell me what you think. worked so well for him and just what it was like for you to get to watch him have that explosion after not getting that sack so far.
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Speaker 1: Yeah.
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Speaker 5: I mean, we knew it was coming. Um, we got, um, Muhammad here in our room. He's, he's one of our vets. He, uh, he always say, man, they come in bunches. Um, the season's long, uh, man, you might not get none for the first couple of games, but, uh, just keep chugging at it.
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Speaker 1: And, uh, we saw that. Yeah.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: He was moving a little different this week.
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Speaker 5: Um, and, uh, we were saying like, man, this is going to be the week and we didn't know who's going to get three, but we knew he was going to get one. And, man, he was just rushing a little different. Coach, he stressed about pressing the button, pressing the button. And we knew that 63 that he likes to fade. He likes to fade. And, like, we knew we weren't going to beat him around the edge as much. We knew we'd have to power him because he's right on top of the quarterback. And Bryce Young is kind of not that big. So we knew that Yaya was the perfect guy to do that.
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Speaker 1: And he showed it.
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Speaker 2: He did. And then also that.
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Speaker 1: Game planning.
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Speaker 2: Game planning.
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Speaker 1: Attack the weakness on the line. Got to. Got to figure it out. See, there you go. That's the mindset mentality. Yeah. That's what gets done. That's what they do. Preparation during the week. We're going to look at the O-line, see their strengths and weaknesses, and then we're going to sick them.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: That's it.
That's it. That's it. Literally.
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Speaker 2: That's how you play this position. And then also, I mean, man, you mentioned Muhammad earlier, his strip sack and then Kalijah's scoop and score.
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Speaker 1: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: Tell me what you remember about watching that play.
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Speaker 5: I didn't see Kalaja do the front flip until they replayed it. I was like, this guy really just somersaulted.
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Speaker 1: It was crazy.
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Speaker 2: I wondered if he regretted that. He probably had.
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Speaker 1: An ice pack on his back later. That's a lot of weight.
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Speaker 2: That was that adrenaline choice.
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Speaker 1: A lot of weight on that turf. Yeah, for sure.
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Speaker 5: And we knew that, man, Muhammad, he can rush inside and outside. So we knew that we could take advantage of that. of the right guard and the left guard. But Muhammad lined up on the right guard. We knew that his cross chop would work because he was really aggressive. Like he said, that's preparation. Throughout the whole week, we just, and Muhammad just trusted in himself. And we knew Bryce Young was tough. He's going to sit in the pocket when we rushed for us, poor man, and but he got the ball out and Kalijah scooped the score.
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Speaker 2: That was awesome.
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Speaker 1: That was great. I know. Sean was kind of like, like, wait, this is.
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Speaker 2: Supposed to be my thing. I've been the guy getting a couple of weeks.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. That's crazy.
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Speaker 2: I'm sure for Kalijah, that was something he'd been watching and wanting. There were just so many firsts for guys in this game too, of whether it be first sacks, first interceptions, first scores, first, like it felt like every single person that had been waiting for a thing to happen, got that thing to happen. Kalijah was another one, got his first sack of the season. Um, tell me what Kalijah has been doing well. And then what happened in this game to kind of help him break through that as well as a guy who he hadn't necessarily been getting some of the stats he has in the past. Uh, but what have you seen from, from what he's been able to deliver?
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Speaker 1: He's, he's not a selfish guy.
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Speaker 5: Um, I feel like Kalijah, man, he wants to see everybody to see like my, my sack when we had against, uh, the Steelers. Um, he, he, he could have just rushed on his own, but no, he took the guard with him to free me open. And like, that's very selfless of him. And, um, Man, like you said, his time is coming. We got so many games left and they're going to come in bunches. And this D-line, this is a really good group. We got a bunch of guys that play the game the right way and they care about each other. And I feel like when you're knitted that close together that good things are bound to happen.
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Speaker 2: Yep. So, yeah, we saw Kalijah got his sack. Vida got a sack.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, Vida got a
sack.
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Speaker 2: Yaya got a bunch of those. Tell me, Donovan, what you saw from that front of ours and what made this, I mean, again, two games in a row with five sacks now is a big deal. What did you see from that group?
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Speaker 4: I saw, like you said, physicality, tenacious rush patterns in their rush lanes, just being able to know how the quarterback is going to, you know, adjust or make those adaptments or adapters in the pocket. But like for them to be able to push the pocket is the way that they do for them to be able to get on edges the way that they do and switch up to how they go speed the power. They bring you upfield. They give you all these different kinds of rushes to where the old line really can't like hone in on, you know, one specific thing that's happening. So, Once you do that and you got guys feeling the way that they feeling, you know, in the, you know, beginning of the week into the game. And now you get out there and now, like you said, it's just, it's just sick of now I'm out here working all on my, my moves.
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Speaker 1: We, we having fun. We communicate and okay, cool.
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Speaker 4: I'm going to take this guy with me to be able to get you like all of these things is happening. So it's, it's, it's something that you, you have to really like appreciate and look at because it's, They're doing some real special things out there, you know, on defense.
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Speaker 2: They really are. That's true. And then other special things, we saw Zion and Tyke's interceptions. There you go. Tell me what you remember about those plays.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, Zion, he's been playing, like Coach said, he's been playing like an all-pro corner. He's been really good. Like, he can run all day. And I feel like I haven't seen him just get tired yet. And Coach called a good call. He knew that he could have had both ways, and he sat on the route. And Bryce Young threw it right to him. And then Tykee, that was an amazing play. He was in his coverage, and he saw that the receiver was breaking out a little bit, and he jumped it.
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Speaker 1: And that was a really good play.
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Speaker 5: And just like I said, when we all work together, man, a lot of good things happen. It's just when guys lack up a little bit is when things don't tend– They had.
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Speaker 1: To go as well.
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Speaker 2: Yep, that's true. All right, we're going to take a quick break here on the Players Table from the Ticketmaster Studio. We're going to have more coming up with Donovan Smith and David Walker, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. This is Buccaneers Radio.
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Speaker 6: The Bucs Players Table, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983.
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Speaker 3: Back to Casey Phillips.
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Speaker 2: Welcome back to the Players Table from the Ticketmaster Studio, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. Casey Phillips here with Donovan Smith and David Walker. All right. We got to talk about this blocked extra point returned two point conversion. Do you get bonus points? If you can remember the last time this happened, we had even a blocked extra point that like that alone has not happened in a hot minute.
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Speaker 1: A blocked extra point for us.
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Speaker 2: Yep.
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Speaker 1: Dinner on you if I get it right.
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Speaker 2: Oh, boy.
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Speaker 1: Where do you want to go?
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Speaker 2: I don't know if I care that much.
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Speaker 1: Ocean Pride. Ocean Pride.
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Speaker 2: I was going to say, I'm like buying us.
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Speaker 5: Burns.
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Speaker 2: Former offensive lineman dinner is not going to be a cheap bill here. All right.
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Speaker 1: So tell me this. No. I can't get a life on it.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, you're here.
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Speaker 1: All right. I was here?
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Speaker 2: You're here. That's why I asked you.
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Speaker 1: All right. So a blocked field goal.
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Speaker 2: 2017.
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Speaker 1: Oh, no.
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Speaker 2: You got it right. Son of a biscuit. I never thought you'd get this right. It was Will Golston in 2017. Man, I really didn't think that was going to... That did not go my way there, but props to you.
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Speaker 1: Who do we play? Um.
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Speaker 2: But yeah, Will Golston was your guy.
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Speaker 1: 2017, right? Yeah.
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Speaker 2: So blocks are extra points. I can't believe this. I did not see that coming.
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Speaker 1: Poetry snaps.
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Speaker 2: My wallet about to be lighter.
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Speaker 1: Unbelievable.
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Speaker 2: I did not agree to the restaurant for the record. You named some. I didn't agree to this. We got a bunch of viewers right here to tell us.
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Speaker 1: We got it on. Amazing.
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Speaker 2: So tell me, David, what do you remember about that play? And just also what this, I mean, special teams this year. has stepped up their game in all the different areas. Like what that meant to the team at that point in the game, like what a play like that is like.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, man, Danny Smith, man, he's, he's, he's one of a kind for sure.
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Speaker 5: Um, like when he first got here, he was just, his stressors was, man, we're going to change this thing around. Um, we're going to, we're going to be better than we were last year. Cause last year we were in last place and now we're rocking in a second. And, um, He just stressed, like, he'd break down so much film. Like, he'd spend so much time on a load of stuff. And he's like, y'all go play, and I'll handle all the gravy. And he knew going into that, man, that that jumper gap was going to be open. And he knew. And he called the right call that we'd been working all week. And Taki got through there. And, like, he sees the stuff before it happens. And that's pretty cool to be around a coach that is that smart. And that intelligence and that
aspect of the game.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean. You love it.
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Speaker 2: He's so unique.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, he is.
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Speaker 2: He's so fun.
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Speaker 4: Any coach that tells, I got it, and I'm going to do the thinking for you, and y'all go play.
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Speaker 2: And then he's right.
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Speaker 1: That's what he does. You love that.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, like, if you do this, this will happen, and then it happens.
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Speaker 4: Well, that just shows you the importance of every, you know, area of the game, even special teams, down to those little intricate little details, like this little gap is gone. There's a little bit of space there, and I think we can, you know, That's, you know, hats off to them because that's hours of film and reps. And special teams is one of those that field goals, some might be like.
00:17:19
Speaker 1: I'm chilling. You know what I'm saying?
00:17:22
Speaker 2: I saw that on that play in particular. There were so many starters in on that, like the buy-in, the commitment. Like, I just think that is.
00:17:30
Speaker 1: The guy that won it.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:17:32
Speaker 1: You know, every points matter. So if you can get two, one, three, why not?
00:17:36
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, again, all of our one score games.
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Speaker 1: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: That's a play that would have. I mean, this one, we ended up having a little bit of a cushion.
00:17:42
Speaker 1: A little bit.
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Speaker 2: Just a little bit of a cushion.
00:17:45
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:17:46
Speaker 2: And then co-keefed. getting to recover his first fumble. Tell me about what you remember on that and just how, like, a guy like Coe Keeft. And, again, you talk about a special teams warrior and ace, and, like, missing him last year was a big deal.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, Coe Keeft, he takes everything serious. I mean, you can just look at him, how he walk around the building. He's a serious guy. But coaches like Danny, man, like, it's the little stuff. Like, even if they fair catch him, he wants to still run. Run to the ball because you never know what can happen, and look at what happened. Yeah, and, man, that just hats off to Coach Keefe getting off his block and just running full speed to the ball, not knowing if he was going to catch it or not, but he was in the right place at the right time, and he recovered the fumble.
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Speaker 2: Big moment. I loved it. And then also, of course, we got to talk about Tez, his touchdown, one of the few passes thrown. especially one of the few passes thrown like a little further. So tell me about what you saw in that play and kind of the adjustments that they had to make as the play unfolded.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I mean, obviously when you throw the ball 11 times or you're not really throwing the ball a lot, you know, you got guys who they're thinking heavy run and all of these things. So, you know, to be able to get
them downfield and just, you know, hit them open one bake, be able to put it on them and then him be able to finish and, and complete the pass and get in there. Like that's huge because, you know, a lot of times you can kind of get a little lax, like things are not really not going my way, but we really, we're not really throwing the ball. We're not really getting a lot of opportunities. So to be able to take advantage of those opportunities and, you know, complete them when they come is big.
00:19:24
Speaker 1: So shout out to my man's test.
00:19:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. And he's a guy that, man, especially as late as he was drafted and then like the ways he has stepped up last year, this year, like when guys go down, like he, when his number is called, he's ready.
00:19:35
Speaker 1: And I think that is taking advantage of the opportunity.
00:19:37
Speaker 2: It's been fun, fun. And he's fun to watch. That's, that's for sure. So we're talking to Donovan Smith and David Walker. I want to, your first time here on the show, I want to have everybody get to know you a little bit more. And uh so we always love this of going going all the way back young david walker tell me when when did football become the thing were you playing other sports first same time when when was football the the chosen.
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Speaker 5: Sport it became the chosen sport in 10th grade so i was always a basketball um Basketball was my heart, but I knew, man, I wasn't growing anymore, so I had.
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Speaker 1: To go to something.
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Speaker 2: Stop growing is like, well.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I had to go to something more realistic, and I played soccer. I ran track. But, yeah, football stuck. 11th grade year.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, so when did you start playing football?
00:20:23
Speaker 1: I started playing football at six, six years old. Okay. Wow. Yeah.
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Speaker 2: So you'd played it for quite a while, but you just still weren't sure. You were hoping the basketball would work out.
00:20:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:20:31
Speaker 5: I was hoping it would work out. I started playing basketball when– Around eight years old. So football was first, then basketball.
00:20:37
Speaker 1: What position? Basketball. Basketball, I played guard, shooting guard. Okay. And then as I got older, I got to play in shooting guard, small forward.
00:20:46
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:20:47
Speaker 1: You got to look. Then you stop growing. Yeah, start growing, and they push you back to point guard.
00:20:52
Speaker 2: You're just moving down that starting order a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how big were you when you talk about that sophomore-ish year when you were playing football in high school? Like, what size were you at that point?
00:21:02
Speaker 5: I didn't start growing until 11th grade, so... 10th grade, I was 5'8, like 160. I was a warrior, though. You were like Tez Johnson out there.
00:21:09
Speaker 1: 5'8, 1'1?
00:21:10
Speaker 2: Like 160.
00:21:10
Speaker
1: Bro.
00:21:10
Speaker 2: And then I got to my junior year. Well, going into junior year, I just got to 6'2, 230. Just, oh, yeah, I feel that.
00:21:14
Speaker 1: Just started growing. Just started growing. But I didn't play D-line. I was just a linebacker and a running back. Oh, okay. All throughout high school.
00:21:34
Speaker 2: Wait, even at that, like, 160, you were playing linebacker? Like, when you were small?
00:21:39
Speaker 1: 160, I was just running back that day.
00:21:40
Speaker 2: Oh, running back that day.
00:21:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then as I grew, I got to.
00:21:42
Speaker 2: You must have hoped you were shifty.
00:21:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
00:21:44
Speaker 4: I was about to say, if you're playing D-line or anything, put your hand on the dirt at 5'8, 160 in high school.
00:21:50
Speaker 1: Oh, I was a good 6'5, 270. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:21:55
Speaker 2: I'm picturing you two against each other and it would have been like the Looney Tunes where somebody's just like flattened on the floor. There's like a David Walker divot in the ground.
00:22:03
Speaker 1: You know what Olamen like to do when you pancake them? Lay on top of them. Put the belly on them. We try to get as fast as we can. That's crazy.
00:22:12
Speaker 2: So when did you think college football was a thing? Because I'm imagining at that first size you mentioned we weren't necessarily dreaming of college. college football yet so when did you feel like that became a possibility.
00:22:22
Speaker 5: My senior year yeah i got up to 260 uh 6-1 and then um i turned acl and then like college was was a thing i was like dang i don't know if i should go but i continued to play on the torn acl and um and i got some pwos all right.
00:22:40
Speaker 2: We gonna back did you say you were playing on a torn.
00:22:42
Speaker 1: Acl yeah i kept playing on it That's wild. Yeah, I know. I went to go play basketball, too.
00:22:49
Speaker 2: That's wild. You just strap on a brace and said.
00:22:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, I had a brace. I was like, I'm going to just play.
00:22:54
Speaker 2: That's crazy.
00:22:54
Speaker 1: That's up to you, big dog.
00:22:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, he said that so casually. And I was like, hold up, what? That's crazy.
00:23:00
Speaker 5: Yeah, and then the offers that I did have a little bit, they got taken because I tore my ACL.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: And then I walked on to SAU. And then the rest is history.
00:23:10
Speaker 2: Wait, so when did you fix it?
00:23:12
Speaker 5: I fixed it after basketball. I played a few games and then I was like, all right, I'm just going to fix it.
00:23:17
Speaker 2: Might need this.
00:23:18
Speaker 1: So I can go play. Yeah.
00:23:20
Speaker 2: That's crazy.
00:23:21
Speaker 1: Some people sprain their ankles and they be out for however long. Normal people. I just want people to understand.
00:23:27
Speaker 2: He's walking around top and bottom of his leg are going different directions. And he's like, I'm good. I'm fine. Just walk it off. Rub some dirt on it. That's wild. So then, yeah, you walked on. Tell me just what the whole... Process was like for you, Minjin, like not a lot of recruitment. You chose to walk on. Like the process from high school to college, and then I know you ended up transferring, kind of how that went and those decisions happened.
00:23:48
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was hard because, I mean, once I was at tournament ACL, I gained a little weight. I got up to like 290 pounds.
00:23:56
Speaker 2: Wow. What a transformation.
00:23:58
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, right? To 290. All right, what.
00:24:01
Speaker 2: Were the foods that contributed to this?
00:24:02
Speaker 1: Oh, it was everything. I was sitting on that couch. I was smacking. Pizza, peanut butter, jelly. Everything. Everything I could get my hands on.
00:24:11
Speaker 2: Living your best life.
00:24:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was. Yeah, I know.
00:24:13
Speaker 5: I got moved to 3Tech my first year in college. And then I was like, no. I got to get out. I got to get back to 250. So I got back to 250, and they pushed me back outside. I was like, oh, it's different. Them double teams are different. And I got moved back to outside, and that year I had a really good year. I was like, man, I think this football stuff can be a thing for me. And I transferred to D1 school, and then things got really good.
00:24:42
Speaker 2: Things got real good. Okay, let's discuss how good they got. So senior year for you, 23 tackles for loss, 10 and a half sacks, four forced fumbles, six pass breakups, all of this in 12 games. School record for career sacks and tackles for loss when you didn't even start your career with them. FCS Defensive Player of the Year. What clicked? What happened? When did you become that version of David Walker, and what led to it?
00:25:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, my first year there, the first year there, I did pretty good. I had 12 and a half sacks, and I was like, dang. then I started seeing scouts come in. I was like, this can be a real thing. And, um, my coach, man, he, he believed in me from the jump. Uh, when I got there, he was, uh, he was the guy like, man, um, I asked him, I was like, do you see, uh, do you see me going to the, to the NFL? He was like, if you put in the work, like, I think you, you got a shot. So every, every summer that year, I was there for three years, those summers, I didn't go anywhere. I spent that time there with him doing the little stuff, the hand, the foot, the eye coordination and stuff like that. And, Man, it just got better and better each year because I took the time out to be intentional with my craft.
00:25:51
Speaker 2: That's pretty cool. Did I see also you have your master's degree?
00:25:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. No, no.
00:25:57
Speaker 2: This felt like a yes or no.
00:25:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hold up.
00:26:02
Speaker 2: Wait, yes or no?
00:26:03
Speaker 1: It's an honorary.
00:26:04
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:26:04
Speaker 1: Honorary.
No, so, like, I have my degree in physical science. I could have did master's.
00:26:10
Speaker 2: Hmm.
00:26:12
Speaker 1: I did like a little semester of it, but I got drafted.
00:26:13
Speaker 2: Okay, you took some classes, and then you got drafted, seeded, and finished.
00:26:16
Speaker 1: So I didn't finish, yeah.
00:26:16
Speaker 2: I see, I see. So what do you think you would be doing if not for football? What was that degree? Did you choose that as maybe like the football degree, or was that going to be the plan?
00:26:25
Speaker 5: Yeah, I was going to get into coaching. That was the route a little bit, but things changed. Then I wanted to– I was going to think about getting into seminary school, but– We'll see.
00:26:36
Speaker 2: But we stole you.
00:26:37
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're sticking, yeah. We still got time for that.
00:26:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, do you feel like that is what you might do like post-football?
00:26:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I definitely want to get, learn more about theology and stuff like that, yeah.
00:26:46
Speaker 2: Like, are we going to be looking at Pastor Walker some day? Is that the plan?
00:26:49
Speaker 5: I've been running away from that. A lot of people have been saying that they see the future. I'm like, I can't see that. I don't see myself talking in front of a bunch of people.
00:26:57
Speaker 2: Interesting. You're doing a good job of it right here for the road.
00:26:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, I know, I know.
00:27:01
Speaker 2: I'm like, man, yeah, talking seems real tough for you. I can see the problem here. Um, so man, this is, so then you, you get drafted. Obviously you, you had some plans where you thought maybe that wasn't going to happen. When did you kind of realize getting drafted would happen? And did you think kind of where you got drafted was, was that kind of where you expected?
00:27:20
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:27:20
Speaker 5: Um, I had, I got some really good agents. Uh, they, they, they knew it down from the tee, what round and stuff like that. And when I went to the senior, to the senior bowl, I did pretty good. I was like, all right, dang, like this is the top talent in the world. And I just competed, uh, had two sacks in the senior bowl game and, I was like, yeah, I got a shot.
00:27:37
Speaker 1: Just two.
00:27:38
Speaker 2: Casual.
00:27:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
00:27:39
Speaker 2: Just two against the best in the world. Senior Bowl is especially important for guys like you that have been going against, like, some smaller schools and that kind of thing. Did you kind of understand in that moment, like, this is how I prove that it wasn't just against smaller schools?
00:27:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.
00:27:55
Speaker 5: Because we only played two big schools out of the year. And I did pretty good against them. So I knew that there was a shot.
00:28:04
Speaker 4: It allows you to shut up all the naysayers, you know, the competition of, Oh, this smaller school and will it be able to
transfer and so on and so forth. But as you see all through the years, even from back in the day, like if you could play, you could play, they're going to find you no matter what, you.
00:28:18
Speaker 1: Know, at the end of the day. So, yeah.
00:28:20
Speaker 2: Do you remember when you started realizing that it might be the bucks who wanted you and what some of those interactions were like? Yeah.
00:28:27
Speaker 5: I had two formal, um, interviews with the bucks in Detroit lions. And, um, Just meeting Foote, I already knew, like, this probably could be my guy. And I didn't know it was them, but, like, as we got late in the draft and I saw that the bucks were up, I was like, my agent, he texted me, like, man, this might be it.
00:28:49
Speaker 1: And surely or not, it was.
00:28:51
Speaker 2: Do you remember seeing Coach Foote's reaction to you getting drafted?
00:28:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:28:55
Speaker 2: What do you remember about that?
00:28:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was happy. I was ready. So, like, this was going to be it.
00:29:02
Speaker 2: I mean, I felt like it looked like Foote had just, like, met his firstborn. Like, that was the level of excitement this man had.
00:29:08
Speaker 1: He really wanted him.
00:29:09
Speaker 3: He knew.
00:29:09
Speaker 1: Hanging on the table. That's my guy.
00:29:11
Speaker 2: That's my guy.
00:29:12
Speaker 1: That's my guy.
00:29:13
Speaker 2: All right, we're going to take another break here on the Players' Table from the Ticketmaster Studio. Brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. This is Buccaneers Radio.
00:29:22
Speaker 3: We're back with the Bucs Players' Table.
00:29:24
Speaker 6: Brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983.
00:29:28
Speaker 3: Here again is Casey Phillips.
00:29:31
Speaker 2: Welcome back into the Players' Table from the Ticketmaster Studio, brought to you by Hooters. The original wing joined since 1983. Casey Phillips here with Donovan Smith and David Walker. Right before the break, we were talking about Coach Foote and how excited he was when we drafted you. And I thought how cool that here Foote obviously had this great career to have a coach that did that. And then for him to be drafted the same round as you, as a fourth-round guy, how cool was that to see, to know coming in day one, like, my coach was drafted right exactly when I was and went on to have that kind of career?
00:30:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, they say the fourth round is the sweet spot, you know. And, man, he's seen the game better than a lot of people.
00:30:11
Speaker 5: Like, he's been in, now he's a coach, so, like, he understands all the emotions, all the things that we go through. So, like, nothing really gets past him because, like, he knows what to do and what to expect. So like the stuff that we do out there, he's just, he's griping because like he played the game and like, he know like what, what spot we're supposed to be in.
00:30:27
Speaker 1: Like we didn't drop right.
00:30:28
Speaker 5: If we didn't do this right, he know like the things that, how big those things are in the moment.
00:30:35
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, Foote's been around how many, you know, you know.
00:30:40
Speaker 4: Without really how much of a difference is that? Like, I'm pretty sure you don't have a coach who hasn't played. And then the coach who has played, How big is it with knowing that he's been through the fire to be able to coach you up? Is there any difference that you see or anything like of that nature?
00:30:59
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's just like, man, I had a– in my first college I had a coach that didn't play D-line. So, like he didn't know like what it took, like what certain steps, like what actually is going on out there because he didn't play it. And like seeing foot, like he actually played the game, like he know– he know everything that we're supposed to do. So like, that's the difference of like, um, like the connection of, um, like he already know what's going on, man. So like, you can talk to him about the little stuff. The other coaches, like they don't really know like what's truly happening. They just know from a book, from a place or from plays before he's actually been in the fire.
00:31:34
Speaker 1: So. Yeah.
00:31:36
Speaker 2: Yeah. I know also for you, it's got to be crazy where you were injured last year, didn't even get to play, but seeing how even just getting drafted and making it to the NFL, like what that can do for the impact you can make in your life. So I know tell everybody what April 26th is.
00:31:52
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:31:52
Speaker 1: It's the David Walker day back in my, my hometown.
00:31:56
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:31:57
Speaker 1: Oh, I'm not living right. A whole day.
00:32:02
Speaker 2: It was the day he was drafted. He decided to make his honorary day, which I think is to the street. Yeah.
00:32:08
Speaker 1: Look at that. Where are you from again? Arkansas.
00:32:12
Speaker 2: Oh. 7,000 people?
00:32:14
Speaker 1: No, no. Dude, it's 9,000 in my home town.
00:32:18
Speaker 2: 9,000. Motherfucker.
00:32:20
Speaker 1: You were pretty close.
00:32:22
Speaker 2: 9,000.
00:32:22
Speaker 1: For real? Yeah. Good for you, my man. Hey, nobody could take that from you. No, for real. I love that.
00:32:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, and he's already hosting free clinics in his town.
00:32:30
Speaker 1: I love that. Let me come to Arkansas. Let me know. I'll pull up. I ain't never been, so say less.
00:32:35
Speaker 2: So, you know, like we talked about, the fact that you had to miss all last year, I'm sure for you it was devastating. all Bucks fans were devastated. Everyone in this building was devastated. Like both the combination of how hype they were about the way you had been looking and then just also who you are. And I I'd love to hear for you in that moment of like what that, I don't know that people always understand the gravity of an injury like that. And you'd already torn your ACL as
we heard earlier in life. Can you take me back to that moment of you're a rookie, you're killing it out there and everyone's hype for you. And then it just, in a, in a moment feels like it could end. What was that like?
00:33:12
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was hard for a split second. Um, like I said, last time that, um, man, my identity is not in football.
00:33:19
Speaker 1: It's in Christ.
00:33:20
Speaker 5: And I knew like, as soon as it happened, I knew, uh, they was asking me like, we gotta get it. You gotta get MRS. So for like, no, like I tore it because I already knew what it felt like. And I was like, uh, I kind of asked God, like, why me?
00:33:33
Speaker 1: You know?
00:33:33
Speaker 5: And, uh, and since I was having this good rookie campaign during the training camp, I was, uh, uh, doing pretty good. And, um, as I look at it now, it's like, he was, he was just teaching me something that, um, that whatever I give you, I can take. And like, at the moment, I didn't want to hear that. Cause I mean, I want to just play football, but now it's like, it was a lesson learned. Cause I know how to be grateful for what I have now. I know that every moment, um, that he's given me every breath that he's given me each day. I know that, uh, it's not because of me, uh, it's because of him. And, uh, so every day I go out there, uh, I thank the Lord for, like, even letting me be out here on this grass and to play this game that I love because I know that one day it's going to end. And he was showing me in that season, that year that I was off, that there's so much more to life.
00:34:21
Speaker 2: That's beautiful.
00:34:22
Speaker 1: I love that.
00:34:23
Speaker 2: And I had Coach Foote on my show last week. He said you thought when you tore your ACL, you thought you were getting cut. Is that true?
00:34:31
Speaker 1: In a sense, I was kind of joking with him a little bit, but, like, I saw my buddies getting cut. I'm like, oh, snap, like. Like, what does this mean for me?
00:34:39
Speaker 5: But, man, I knew that, guys, he puts you in places that you're not supposed to be because.
00:34:44
Speaker 1: It's his grace.
00:34:45
Speaker 2: Yeah. Foote was like, bro, no, we like you. Like, you're going to rehab, and then you're going to play football.
00:34:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, those are the mental battles that a lot of real life, our heroes, NFL players, and that they got to deal with and go through. That's their life because it's real people who have been, you know. Treated that way or, you know.
00:35:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, it can happen.
00:35:08
Speaker 4: Handled that way or anything like that. So, you know, that's real life. So I'm pretty sure it probably did cross your mind.
00:35:13
Speaker 1: Like, dang, what's next? Like, where am I going to do this? You know, all of those things.
00:35:17
Speaker 2: And I'm sure there were also a lot of thoughts, potentially, I don't want to project on you, if it was me, of what you're going to be like when you come back. Did you feel that, question that in those moments of, you know, what is me post this injury going to look like when I had been killing it? Can I still kill it when I come back?
00:35:35
Speaker 5: Yeah, that was the mental battle. And I was doing certain movements after. I was like, dang, I don't feel it. But, man, the whole time I had people around me just encouraging me. And I knew what it took to come back because I did it before. So I was like, man, I don't care what happens. When I'm able, when I'm free, when I'm cleared, I'm just going to hit the ground running. I'm not going to let my leg linger. I'm just going to put it to full test. And that's what I did the first day.
00:36:03
Speaker 1: And I was like, oh. like it is holding up.
00:36:06
Speaker 2: We're here with Donovan Smith and David Walker. At what point when you did come back, did you know you were back? Like, was there a moment or a play where you were like, Oh, I'm still, I still got this.
00:36:20
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Man, coach foot. And he threw me out in the fire against the ones against, he said, you go line up on Luke.
00:36:27
Speaker 5: And I was like, all right. And, and I lined up on Luke and then we had a, had a really good rep. I was like, dang, it's like, This feels good. And then as it kept going, kept going, I just kept feeling better and better. And I was like, man, this is David. What Bryson Tiller said, I'm back.
00:36:45
Speaker 1: And I'm better.
00:36:48
Speaker 2: Donovan, do you remember kind of the first times you started watching him and what your thoughts were as someone who would have faced him if you could have been the Luke in that situation?
00:36:57
Speaker 4: No, obviously as a smaller rusher, obviously he got good bend, good get off. But then he's able, you know, to, you know, get that speed to power, which is kind of like really the icing on the cake. Because anytime that you get a tackle to, you know, get them upfield rushes and whatnot, they're kind of like skating out of there in a way. So they're not really anchoring down for, you know, those bull rushes that come. So for him to be able to transition those and then he got good bend, you know, to be able to get around the corner and attack the quarterback, you know, that's something that you want to see once you beat the tackle, get past the hip and then explode to the quarterback.
00:37:30
Speaker 2: So.
00:37:31
Speaker 1: To be able to see that, you know, it's, you know, hats off to my guy. He would have had some issues. He would have had some issues with me.
00:37:40
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:37:41
Speaker 1: No, no, no. Hats off to him. I respect your game. Yeah, I appreciate it. Absolutely.
00:37:47
Speaker 2: Do you feel like, you talked about the, being able to go against like the smaller schools and then prove you could do it in the senior bowl. Then you get to the NFL. What were the biggest, uh, challenges or transitions when you did get up to this level that you felt like maybe
you did have to shift or elevate in your game?
00:38:07
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:38:07
Speaker 5: Um, just, uh, just the competition. Um, like the, like you said, the tackles are bigger. Um, we got some big tackles that are all level two, but They're big every week.
00:38:17
Speaker 2: You saw Tristan Wirfs and went, oh.
00:38:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, they're big every week.
00:38:20
Speaker 5: And, like, guys to be that big and able to move just like you, it's kind of like I better get going. And my first rep against Wirfs, it was like that. I was like, dang, he's fast to be that big. But, man, it's good to go against people like that because it sharpens you every day. It shows you what you need to work on and hopefully gives them insight of how to attack a smaller rusher as well. And when I went to the Senior Bowl, I was like, bro, all these guys are huge. And I'm like, what am I going to do? But, like, in my mind, I knew that I have speed, I have bend, and, like, they got to come out and get me. And so I just try to use that to my advantage every time. Leverage is key for me. If I get too high, I know that I'm too high because sometimes I lose the rep. But, man, I just try to stick to what I'm good at, what I'm capable of doing, and that's leverage and trying to win the edge.
00:39:13
Speaker 1: You know what I heard?
00:39:14
Speaker 2: What?
00:39:14
Speaker 1: I heard it a couple times. He said us offensive linemen are fast. I know y'all heard it. Two, three times. Fast. That's all he heard. Two, three times. Fast.
00:39:26
Speaker 5: I'm just, we the real athletes.
00:39:30
Speaker 2: 330.
00:39:30
Speaker 1: Dave is like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 330, 320, 340, and we fast. Yeah, yeah.
00:39:36
Speaker 2: That was what I heard. That was the point he was making, obviously.
00:39:40
Speaker 1: We don't know how fast or what, but fast.
00:39:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, this goes back to, like, what was A'shaun saying?
00:39:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, literally.
00:39:48
Speaker 4: How D-line view offensive linemen and how offensive linemen view D-line.
00:39:51
Speaker 1: Like, y'all view us as, like, the big, sloppy, ugly, like, you know what I'm saying?
00:39:55
Speaker 2: Like, David just nodded.
00:39:57
Speaker 1: It's the truth. Am I lying? Yeah. It's the truth.
00:40:00
Speaker 4: And then O-line, like, to the D-line, they think that they, like, got it together, the whatever you want to call it, the fit to fit, like, you know what I'm saying?
00:40:08
Speaker 1: Faster, stronger. Like, nah.
00:40:10
Speaker 2: He said nah.
00:40:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, tackles, they're getting– They're getting fit too now.
00:40:14
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:40:14
Speaker 1: Different. Yeah, it's getting different. Different.
00:40:17
Speaker 2: What do you remember about your first career sack?
00:40:20
Speaker 5: Man, it was kind of like a deep breath. Like the hard work, like being out a whole year and just finally getting the opportunity to go out there to rush. I think Titus Howard, I think he's been in the league 10 years plus too. So just being able to rush against a bad tackle and win a sack to Sean Watson, it was pretty cool.
00:40:41
Speaker 1: I got the long carry.
00:40:42
Speaker 2: That's what it felt like.
00:40:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, for real. I was like, yeah, I'm supposed to be here.
00:40:47
Speaker 2: And have you heard all the stats people are talking about with you in terms of your things like your sack rate, your pressure rate, like QB hit rate, like per snap that what you've been doing is like one or two in the whole league?
00:41:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I had to delete socials.
00:41:04
Speaker 2: Because people were hyping you too much?
00:41:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:41:06
Speaker 2: That's usually the opposite problem most people have with social media, that basically you were like, people gassing me up too much, I.
00:41:11
Speaker 1: Need to stay humble. Yeah, I want to stay humble, yeah. That's good, though.
00:41:14
Speaker 2: What a cool problem to have. That's great.
00:41:16
Speaker 1: Literally taking advantage of your opportunities.
00:41:18
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:41:18
Speaker 1: When they come, your name is called, and you're going to make the most of it. Yeah.
00:41:22
Speaker 2: Compared to what you, I mean, you seem like a guy that is confident, had viewed yourself as someone who could do this at this level, but Do you feel like you've even exceeded your own expectations because of when you hear stats like that?
00:41:35
Speaker 1: In a way.
00:41:36
Speaker 5: I just, I don't know, I'm just very confident in, like, who I am. I mean, I say it much because I lean on the Bible. I forgot where it's at in the Bible. It says let other people talk about you. Don't glorify yourself. So I let other people do it. But in the inside, it's like, yeah, dang, like, FCS kid, small town, second guy drafted out of this hole. His hometown, I'm out here doing this stuff that a lot of people dream about. So in that, yes, I sit in that sometimes, but I like to be humble about everything.
00:42:10
Speaker 1: Humility is big for me.
00:42:12
Speaker 2: I like that. And I can tell that's legit, but we'll continue to do the hyping. We'll do the talking for you. We'll do it. That's what we're here for. We're going to take one more break here on the Players Table from the Ticketmaster Studio. We're talking to Donovan Smith and David Walker, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. This is Buccaneers Radio.
00:42:29
Speaker 6: The Bucs Players Table, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joined since 1983.
00:42:35
Speaker 3: Back to Casey Phillips.
00:42:38
Speaker 2: Welcome back into the Players Table from the Ticketmaster Studio, brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joined since 1983. Casey Phillips, Donovan Smith, and David Walker. What were the things you had to learn, grow in, or adjust to for Todd Bowles' defense and what he requires of outside
linebackers?
00:42:55
Speaker 1: We're a moving part.
00:42:56
Speaker 5: We're an actual linebacker, and we've got to know Our jobs, we got to know where the job, we got to know like what to do in certain situations with the tight end motion, like it flips. So it's, it's a lot of, a lot of thinking. A lot of his stuff is just go get it, go get it. And that's, that's what we like. We don't really like all the job. We like to go, go straight, but man, it's a team thing. So we just, we just got to prepare for everything.
00:43:21
Speaker 2: Yeah. Donovan, tell me as an offensive lineman, looking at what Todd does, with his outside linebackers. And then sometimes also with the defense. I mean, we've seen, I watched Vita drop at one point yesterday. Like, tell me what that does to the offensive line. And when you watch that, like if you were having to scout that, what that's like.
00:43:39
Speaker 1: So it messes up your count in a way.
00:43:42
Speaker 4: Like you said, for him as an outside linebacker, you got to know, you know, off the ball stuff and on the ball stuff as well. So as an offensive line, you looking at numbers and bodies and so on and so forth, and you're trying to, you know, figure out who the four down and mike or who the three down mike and sam or whatever you want to call it and who are you and you're literally trying to figure out who who and what so that's i feel like that's pluses in it to where you got to get up and you got to try to identify who the known rushers are going to be but then when you get those guys up there and you okay vita he he's a known rusher why would he be dropping but then now he's dropping you know i'm saying and it kind of like Now I got to think about all of these different, like, type of possibilities, you know, in my pass set and in my protection where you get screwed up a little bit.
00:44:30
Speaker 1: And now you got guys on edges. You got guys coming free.
00:44:34
Speaker 4: You got, you know, rush lanes that's being, you know, the pocket being collapsed and all of those things just off of that because you're having to think about the count and, you.
00:44:42
Speaker 1: Know, your protection.
00:44:43
Speaker 2: Like you said, you like when it's, hey, David, go straight and get him. I'm with you on that. But I mean, run game is also so important for you guys and what y'all do. So what are the things that you felt like you've done well in that area and that you're still growing in when it comes to the run game?
00:45:00
Speaker 1: I really like the run game just as much as the pass.
00:45:02
Speaker 5: That's what a lot of people don't know. They think I'm just a passer.
00:45:07
Speaker 1: I love the run.
00:45:08
Speaker 5: I love playing it because I love putting my hands on people and being able to move people We take pride in that. Just start from college. Our coach, he's stressed. We've got to stop the run. How else are you going to get to them to pass the ball if you don't stop them running? We did Sunday. We ran the ball, ran the ball, ran the ball. Man, in foot, we hit the sleds every day. We do the little stuff, and we truly take pride in the run.
00:45:32
Speaker 1: He got the leverage already. So he wouldn't say that.
00:45:34
Speaker 2: I got my sack, so I like to run.
00:45:37
Speaker 1: As an offensive lineman, like, yeah, you gotta like, you know, you, you, you sitting here trying to get leverage. You got low man wins, but he already down there. I'm already there. Come get me. Come on. You feel me? You lean in and then that's when you, you know, shedding and doing all that good stuff.
00:45:51
Speaker 2: Which I'm sure is annoying as all get out for.
00:45:53
Speaker 1: That's a first.
00:45:53
Speaker 4: You figure, you figure those, those outside guys, you'll never really hear them say, oh, I like playing the run.
00:45:58
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:45:58
Speaker 1: You never really hear that.
00:46:00
Speaker 4: So like, And that's a big part because, like you said, you stop the run, and then now what else they got to do?
00:46:06
Speaker 1: They got to pass it. They got to pass it, and now my ears is pinned back.
00:46:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're going.
00:46:11
Speaker 1: I'm ready to go home.
00:46:12
Speaker 2: Now you end up with five sacks. Tell me about just some of the guys in your room, and especially watching, you know, like Ruben Bain come in and what you feel like his potential could be and who he is of watching him and Yaya, Muhammad, Anthony Nelson. Like, y'all have such a stacked room full of a lot of different types of outside linebackers too so what you've noticed about your your room and especially guys like Ruben of what he could offer yeah like you.
00:46:35
Speaker 5: Said like we're all very we're very different Nelly six seven and Muhammad six six six three six four yeah yeah six three and uh me and me and Bane holding it down holding it down you know he's six two but I give it to him.
00:46:51
Speaker 1: Foot, foot, foot, foot, foot, say 5'9, but does he? Wow. He's keeping you in high school. He's keeping you in high school. He's keeping me low. He's keeping me low. He's keeping.
00:47:00
Speaker 2: He didn't even just, like, take off an inch. He was, like, not.
00:47:03
Speaker 1: He was keeping him in high school. Like, we're the same height. Humility. Humility.
00:47:06
Speaker 2: Foot is definitely going to help him with that. There you go.
00:47:09
Speaker 5: Oh, he's very good at it. And, man, Ruben, his sky's the limit for him. I feel like when he got that first sack, It took a lot of pressure off his shoulder. I don't know what it's like being a first-rounder and everybody's just on your back right now. And I feel like once he gets the little things down of just knowing who he is, knowing that he's a dog, knowing that, man, the plays that he make, they're.
00:47:34
Speaker 1: Going to come.
00:47:34
Speaker 5: It just takes time. We got 11 more games, and they're going to come in bunches.
And that's what we tell in our room. Like, don't get mad if you don't get a sack this game, man. Next game might be it for you.
00:47:45
Speaker 2: Yep.
00:47:45
Speaker 5: And just having that mentality, like he breaks down film. He's a rookie and he's always watching film. He's always criticizing himself. So like that's good to have at his first year guy. Most people don't do that. We're excited to see him break through.
00:47:58
Speaker 2: I like that. We're talking to David Walker and Donovan Smith. All right, so looking ahead to this next game. I'm glad you like the run. I'm glad you like playing the run.
00:48:08
Speaker 1: We know. We know, yeah. This is big. This is big.
00:48:11
Speaker 2: Tell me what you know about Bijan and their offense in general.
00:48:16
Speaker 5: Yeah, he's a top back in the NFL. You got to give the ball to your best player, and he's the best player on that team. And what they do is they run the ball. That's their breadwinner. And like I said, man, we just got to come with that mentality from day one. Today we're going to break down film. from the last game, fix the errors, and Wednesday we're going to hit the ground running. And we know that they're going to come in here and try to run the ball, and that's something that, man, we've got to take pride in stopping.
00:48:43
Speaker 1: He's a good back. He's going to get some yards, but we've just got to limit the explosions.
00:48:47
Speaker 2: Yeah. And, uh, have you, have you got a chance to watch much of the Falcons this year? Donovan, tell me what you noticed about Michael Pennix, what he's added to their Bijon and just what their offense looks like that we're going to have to look out for.
00:48:57
Speaker 4: Um, just with them too, uh, with Pennix mobility, be able to move the pocket, um, you know, changing on launch points, him being a lefty is also another, you know, caveat to the game. Cause 99% of quarterbacks, I.
00:49:10
Speaker 1: Think are, you know, righties.
00:49:12
Speaker 4: Um, But then, you know, he just allows them versatility in the pass game in the run game um you know fake boots and stuff like that you kind of almost got to account for the quarterback just in case but uh you know bijan is gonna go and you know supposedly be him um they're gonna give him the ball they're gonna try to get him out you know flares and stuff like that so they can get the ball in his hands different ways but um just them two to be able to to work off each other is pretty cool. And then looking at how he's, you know, throwing the ball downfield, he's doing pretty well in that aspect as well. But, you know, our pass rush will, you know, cancel all that out.
00:49:49
Speaker 2: We got some decent guys out here. Okay, so to close, Halloween this week.
00:49:53
Speaker 6: Oh, man.
00:49:54
Speaker 2: Favorite thing you've both ever dressed up as?
00:49:58
Speaker 4: Big man struggles, so we really didn't.
00:50:00
Speaker 2: Have that many things to dress up.
00:50:03
Speaker 1: You though, 5916. We got some options. Oh, I'll find it. I think I did like the mask. I had like the whole.
00:50:13
Speaker 2: Does that fit?
00:50:14
Speaker 1: I had a yellow suit. Literally, I had a whole little yellow suit and everything, a little hat and whatnot. I like that. Yeah, and I think that's it. What about you?
00:50:22
Speaker 5: I say, I mean, as a kid, I really didn't dress up after the fact. I was big on Spider-Man.
00:50:29
Speaker 1: Nice.
00:50:30
Speaker 5: So yeah, we had the. Me and my brother, Spider-Man, we would dress up as the Avengers, stuff like that.
00:50:36
Speaker 1: So that was.
00:50:37
Speaker 2: The classics.
00:50:37
Speaker 1: Yeah, the classics.
00:50:39
Speaker 2: I went as Oscar the Grouch one year, built a trash can to go around me. And I was pretty proud of that. I thought it was pretty funny.
00:50:46
Speaker 1: You really thought you were about to get out an answer.
00:50:48
Speaker 2: I did think that, but thankfully I didn't have an answer ready. I went as that. I was pretty proud. I made the whole trash can.
00:50:53
Speaker 1: I need to see a picture of that. Yeah.
00:50:56
Speaker 2: Maybe. We'll see.
00:50:57
Speaker 1: We need it.
00:50:58
Speaker 2: Well, Dave, thank you for spending time with us.
00:51:00
Speaker 3: This was awesome.
00:51:00
Speaker 2: We appreciate it. And this has been the Players Table from the Ticketmaster Studio brought to you by Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. This is Buccaneers Radio.
00:51:08
Speaker 6: The Bucs Players Table has been brought to you by Hooters. Hooters, the original wing joint since 1983. This is Tampa Bay Sports Radio. WDAE-FM Clearwater. WDAE-AM St.
00:51:22
Speaker 3: Petersburg.
00:51:23
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