Big Red RageBig Red Rage - Roy Lopez Does Dirty Work For Cardinals
Strap on the boots and scrape up the knuckles. Hold ahead, he got jacked.
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Here's Paul CALVICI I'm ready. I'm one hundred percent ready. I'm telling you I'm ready.
And Ron Wolfley it doesn't get any better than that bo.
All Red see here we go. I want to show a hands right off the top who has already violated their New Year's resolution. Come on now, oh look at that.
Yep.
Okay, we're in the trust tree here right up. Knock it off. Wolf who says there's no NFL programming on this Thursday night. Are you kidding me. We are the original Thursday Night Football, and whenever we have a nose tackle a fifteen games starter, we're most definitely putting the big into Big Red Rage tonight. How about it, everyone, Roy?
Oh yeah, there we go. What I'm talking about? Paulie.
By the way, right now, I'm on vacation, paul as you well know, fourteen days of vacation. Yet at the same time, I have all these things I have to do for the Arizona Cardinals, like Big Red Rage Jeff tonight. Yet at the same time, Paulie, you know that these fourteen days, I'm putting on about sixteen pounds.
Okay, Well that's really hard to do, is it not, Roy? Fourteen? I mean seasy time?
Really this time?
Okay, so this time of the year where you'd.
Like to go ahead and maybe have a feast from time to time or sit down and chow something. What is Roy Lopez like to chow the most?
Well, I'll eat, I'll eat. Uh, I'll throw down some tacos.
So what kind of tacos I mean?
You know, well, most likely they're probably my mom's tacos. Okay, she tries to keep them healthy, which is nice. So I'll eat like ground turkey tacos o ground some shredded shredded beef tacos. But I'm clearing ten.
Okay now, now, Roy, I was gonna say, you said some what's the over under a number of tacos?
I'm clearing ten? Wow?
Okay, Well, first of all, I love the fact that that the man admits it. Right, I'm clearing ten easily. That's what I've did. Are you a spice guy? Though not too much, not too much.
Just for the taste, okay, just for the taste, all right, I like that right.
There for me.
We go food.
We can go food all day.
Oh yeah, okay, Hop and Arrol loaded up.
Speaking to mom. All you have to do is look into the front row here at Trophy and channel watch you name some names because the Lopez family is representing here tonight.
Yeah.
You know so, I think that's one of the beauties of me, you know, being from Arizona, is I get to do a lot of these things with my family, which is pretty cool, you know. So, uh, front Rock, I got my mom my dad here, I got my my cousin who is also my trainer, Marco's Escerville. I got my THEO Larry here.
Oh yeah, Larry back there, Yeah, Larry.
It's amazing. I see some of these spaces on the road, like, oh yeah, right, your family members are there like in row three a lot of times.
Yeah, they travel well, man. My family's uh, they got the biggest hearts.
Of the world.
And I got my cousin Michelle back there, yeah.
And her family as well, man. So just uh. And then I got my other deal coming out later the night as well. So this is awesome.
Here's the really cool thing about right now. Of course, your dad is a coach, okay, And how many other people in your family work in the game of football. In regard to being a coach.
I don't think there's a man in my family that does not do football.
Are you see everybody?
He's a high school football coach somehow.
Oh oh my goodness, whether.
It's a head coach, O line, d line coach something. It's been like that since my whole life.
See that is that is that blows me away, because you know, I grew up in a football family. My older brother, Craig, he played twelve years in the NFL. My younger brother Dale has passed, but he was better than both of us put together. He played a long time at college football, and yet at the same time, that's nowhere even close to what you've just described. You are a football family, Are you.
Not the hunter for saying I always say that, you know, all their journeys, you know, led up to me being right here, right, everything that they learned throughout their time. And they were all great football players and in every sport they played in, really, and so they understood what it took to get to where they were at, right and so, and then in order for me to take the next step, they invested all their love, time, energy and effort into me growing up, whether it was in junior high, high school, college, and you know, it wasn't just me that made it, you know, A to the NFL.
It's all those man. That's why they always come to everything, because it's they deserve it, man, They deserve it. Oh, I love it right and.
A temp native. It's not like anyone needs GPS around here. Okay, they know exactly where they're going. And we're gonna get into this and do a deep dive a little bit later, all right into his upbringing, high school ball here. Maybe we'll even get into the fact a year at U of A even if former U of A guy saw last night that it was targeting against Texas in that game. We'll get into that maybe a little bit later. But here you are. You have one week left in the regular season. Just tell us about the mindset you had a division game, right, Nobody likes the stinking forty nine ers. Everybody wants the season sweep against San Francisco. Okay, So tell us about the vibe in the locker room, the mindset going into week eighteen.
Yeah, I think it's the same thing every single week, you know, And and we're hungry as ever, you know, because because.
This group of guys, we truly do love each other.
And I think that's something you can see whether you're at the game where you're watching on TV. We'll fight tooth and nail for every single yard someone's got to get on us and every sing yard we gained, you know, and that comes from the top down, from the coaches to the leaders on our team.
You know.
JG started the week meeting hot this week, right, just coming in fire and yelling, and that's something that you know, it doesn't matter that happened week three, you know. So we're fifteen and now eighteen weeks, but fifteen week difference of this man just fired up every single day, you know. So being able to play for a guy like that, it's it's easy, you know, to go to work.
We host his TV show every Monday. Wolf Does that surprise you that came in hot? It sounds like him.
Coming in level studio.
Yeah.
But you know, for the most part too, I know what it's like to play on a lot of teams where you've been eliminated. Unfortunately for me, I know what that's like.
No, right, okay, being eliminated.
Yet at the same time, it really taught me what the game was all about, right when you were playing in a quote unquote meaningless game. There is no such thing as a meaningless NFL game.
Yeah, I can agree.
Man, I've been on the teams that were you know, done in November, right, And so yeah, I would say it every week to my family, like, oh, that next week's a big game, but that next one, next one is going to be a really big game. And my kind of my deal kind of just told me, like, you know, every game from here on now is big. So it was one of those It was definitely a cool moment in my career to be able to play in a game where you know every play matters. You know so and every single one does in every game, but those ones you can feel it.
Man.
I've got this idea that there's a lot of guys in the locker room who play this game and played as hard as they possibly can. It's one of the reasons why j G and Manti Assen for brought you in and a lot of other guys that are built like you mentally, to bring you in and say let's go and let's ball out and let's do the best that we possibly can't. To me, I used to love playing in games that were quote unquote meaningless because I'd go out there and challenge myself coming out of the tunnel.
What are you gonna do today? What are you gonna do today? Now what your team is gonna do today, but what are you gonna do today? Are you gonna win or lose yourself?
Do you think there's a lot of guys that come out of the locker room and have that mentality.
One hundred percent?
I mean, you can take it back to last year when we went into Philly, right, it's not much to play for. People say, but you're going there and to a playoff team and we take them four quarters to take them down the wire.
And end up winning the game. You know.
So that's the beauty of football. I think the biggest thing a lot of guys in this locker room. You know, people can say you're playing for money, or you're playing for status or whatever, but the biggest thing on this team, there's the reason why this team was brought together is for respect or a bunch of guys that just are dying for respecting the NFL, right, And so we play like that in the moment we get recognition, we try to bring it as a group because that's throughout this whole process.
So I have to ask you this right here, because I expected you guys to come out against Carolina Hot, so to speak, and you guys did not. Why do you think that might have been Roy Lopez?
I think, honestly, I think they played a great ball. They played a great game too, but played a great game. Bryce played a great game, and you know, hats off to them. You know, at the end of the day, obviously we do got to play better, but they had a great game plan. They executed well, their coaches called a great game, and you know it's tough we were able to pull down on.
You know, I was thinking, there's there's about thirteen or fourteen guys that are year two or under that are actually playing in rotations or are starting on this team right now. Do you think it's the young guys that are still developing that they suddenly brought up to you in Carolina?
Right?
I think that's also something that's it never gets you never get over that, right, And here I am a year four, still improving, still learning. Right, So as far as to say it's the young guys you know doing that, that's gonna that's gonna be for as long as we play football, you know.
So thankfully we have a great coup of young guys.
On this And the reason why I keep asking you about this, Royd, is because it was so unlike everything else I have seen that from you guys all season long for the most part.
Right and right right in the thick of that game, you can if anybody were able to see our sidelines, you can just see us look at each other and lean out like nobody crossed each other, nobody gave up on one another. It was Okay, we got eight minutes left and it's close, like we just made it a game again. And so it's that was the biggest thing, is like we need one to stop and it's so hard.
So hard to do that well.
And last year you guys did something similar, right, not only at Philly, at Pittsburgh, a couple of playoff teams you knocked off on the road. Here's Kyler Murray. I'm going into the offseason on a high.
Note, going into last game offseason. You know, I think it's big to feel good your last performance, at least me personally. I would like to go into the all season playing well and have that, you know, on your mind. That's the last thing you remember, you know. So that's why I think that's what we want to do, is go out there and play well, obviously to.
Win the game.
If you go back to Week seven, this Cardinals defense, ever since Week seven, has allowed the fewest touchdowns in the NFL. Let that hang in the air a minute. Buda was asked about that earlier today. He said, yeah, you know, to begin the season, maybe we didn't quite have the run fits correct. You know, we're doing a better job now of affecting the quarterback. What do you think has gone into the improvement in the defense as a whole this second half of the season.
Yeah, I think that's from the top bottom, top to the bottom as well. You know JG and Nick Gralis man Nicholas is a dog man. He's he's going to be a great coach for a long, long time man. So he's something that he's someone that learns from himself, you know, and being able to step back and watch the game tape and study himself as a play caller, right, And so that's something that as.
A player, you'd love to play for somebody like that, Right.
It's it's something that you have to have humility in doing that, you know, and so being able to make adjustments where they're at halftime before the game, during the game, right, It's it's it's something that we've all grown together.
Maybe even season to season. As an example, this last game, Kien Williams a year ago, he ran for over three hundred yards into two games. Both pointed this out on the broadcast during the game. Look what you guys did against him this year? You guys stuffed him in both games. Can you see that as a sign of growth? And maybe even the coaches with the game plan right, getting ready for Kien Williams from one season to the next.
Yeah, for sure, I think that's something that it goes into mindset, It goes into respect, understanding that you know, he probably he had over three hundred yards and both times we played him, and so you know, he probably went into the game thinking that he's probably gonna do it again, you know. So that's just goes into the respect aspect of you know, we don't want to be that defense that people highlight and say, we want to get three hundred yards this game, right, like, so it goes into respect.
All right, We're gonna continue just getting rolling. Starting nos Roy Lopez and the Arizona Cardinals. It is the Big Red Rage resented by San Stanford and Gilbert Live from Trophy and Chandler looking and a Queen Creek rode between Price and Dobson moving around in the pocket looking everybody covered. Now I want in trouble.
Second fun of the ball and the Cardinals recovered at the twenty nine yard line.
Roy Lopez gets the sack.
Roy Lopez with the tomahawk.
Baby Stevenson, the tailback, gets the carry, running to the left and it's gonna be close. I don't think he got it, and the Cardinals take over on downs at their four yard line.
Shades of dumpster Dan right there from Roy Lopez.
Oh my goodness, what an awesome job. At the point of attack.
Darna looking over the middle, dumps it off complete to Jones and the balls out and it's recovered by the Cardinals. It was punch free and Roy Lopez balls on it.
My lowped right there. Roy Lopez fell on that ball. Man stuck that this belly button.
There you go, Sean Murphy bunding the force fumble and the fumble recovery. I don't know about the belly button. Well, you know what, let's just ask Roy Lopez here on the Big Red Rage presented by santan Ford and Gilbert We are santan Ford, Roy, have you or have you not ever stuffed a football into your belly?
Man?
No, he's a big met.
What percentage of plays as a nose tackle for those of them, and that's ninety nine point nine percent of the world who's never played nose tackle in a football game. How would you describe your job? But how often you get double teamed?
Uh?
Just how dirty and filthy and physical does it get down there at the epicenter of humanity.
Yeah, it's uh, it's the real deal man. That's uh.
When people think, you know, football banging and everything like that, that's that's the noseguard position. You know, everything happens so fast. You're the first person may contact every single play, you know, so you're getting double team, you're getting washed down the line of scrim as you to be able to you know, anchor the point of contact. And it's something that you know, I love to do because you know, not a lot of guys get to go against the same guy.
For sixty minutes.
Monoi mono, right, And it's something that it comes down to off season training, comes down the mindset. It comes down to if you really want it or not. You know, so anything between the White Lions for sixty minutes, it's on.
You know, I played with many noseguards and they would say often that it's the most paranoid position on the field. And the reason being is because typically you line up over the center. Of course, if you are playing nose tackle, you have the center, you have the right guard, and you have the left guard, and you never know which way it's actually gonna come from.
Do you feel that, Roy, would you agree with that?
Yeah, I'm in I'm in the whole little world in there in that little box, you know, like there's so much a football you guys, you know, are watching from from from the stands or up top, and I got my own little center to guards, right. It's it's something that you know, I I love it. I appreciate it, even you know, I'm taking a double team. I'm probably not make the tackle. But you got to find loving the little things when he comes to nosegar world, you know, so my family has gotten to a joint enjoy the enjoy the nose guard life.
You know, since I've been the lakes.
You know what else is coming back in the NFL. I just thought I've seen us do it. As a matter of fact, the wham block.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, man, you know what I'm talking about.
That center is going to look at that nose tackle, set him up, and then go away from the wham and here comes the tight end. Here's a full back. Yeah literally, man.
I want to know how much your heavyweight wrestling career has served you well at the position. But first you spoke of the offseason. Here's Nick Rolis, your defensive coordinator. This is in training camp right going into this season. On how he was challenging you to lead more.
I challenged Roy to become a leader on his defense, and I think he's done a great job of that. He does a phenomenal job for us. In the run game. You want to talk about anchoring a double team, He's hard to move in there, and then when he gets his shot to go one on one, he'll get knocked back. And he does a good job pushing the pocket on pass downs.
Your reaction that and and how is this season gone in your estimation?
Yeah, I think that's something that if you watch the tape or watch games, you know, that's what he says. As far as taking the double team, inching, anchoring the double team, and and the moment, you know, I get on one on one, I lick my chops, right, It's it's something that I wait sixty minutes for one on one, you know. So, and as far as the leader, I think that just goes into you know, being who I am. You know, at the end of the day. Thankfully I was growing I grew up with a family that they're all leaders.
In their workplace.
And you know, so it's signed kind of just being second nature of being able to have a voice and and but also it comes through actions. You know, it comes through Uh you get your reputation through your reps, right and and so being able to show up every single day early do the little things pop out on tape with just effort and UH want to you know, I think that's something that when leading a room goes a long way.
You know, Roy, a football player is body, soul, in spirit, all three. You've got to have all three to play the game correctly. So tell me what a nose tackle needs in terms of body, soul, in spirit in order to be a good nose tackle right in the NFL.
I think the body I kind of don't fit the normal nose guard description.
Why do you say that most nose guards are about six five three twenty three thirty Yeah, and I'm not. Okay, so I'm.
But the biggest thing for me, which is nice, is I'm a little shorter, so I get the embedded pad level. I think that's the biggest thing as far as a nose guard is pad level, you know, getting your screws underneath their screws.
Low Man wins. Low Man wins.
You hear that, you know, from the moment you start football, you know, so thankfully I'm usually lower than everybody.
And you got a really good feet too, don't you.
I think that, Yeah goes back to me growing up around football, you know, and I'd get bored and just hop on the juiliy ladder. And also my trainer, you know, is he's my cousin, but he's pretty mean to me, so so.
He'll make fun of me and say I got slow feet?
What is your feet? What is your weight at? I should say right.
Now, I range from three h five to three ten okay, so throughout the season that's kind of where I go.
Usually play around three oh eight.
Okay, I like it about three twenty.
That makes won't feel better about himself considering all the weight he's put it on the holiday season.
That's why.
Yeah, that's big boy weight right there.
So to what degree does your wrestling background serve you well in the trenches, because for those who don't know, you won two state titles in high school? Is a heavyweight champion? I mean, how about that? And you let it all four years? So how often is that coming to play? In this job.
Yeah, I think you know, some people reference it all the time when watching my tape. Is it looks like I'm wrestling right because everything is about inside hand placement, pad level low man wins. The moment you lean too much, I'm gonna snatch you right in. Being able to attack one arm at a time is the biggest saying. I do it in off season training, whether it's boxing or wrestling.
You know.
Thankfully, my THEO also does a self defense for the police academy, so I'm able to go in there and train with him, roll around with him. So it's all around. It's a It's changed my life for sure. I love the game of wrestling.
So you grew up here and you went to Mesquite High School.
I went to two high schools. Went to Marco's Denisa. I transferred to Mesquite.
Okay, talk to me a little bit. Why did you transfer? Well, what's going on with that?
Yeah, my dad was the head coach of Marco's Denisa.
Okay, So then after my sophomore year he resigned, so we kind of, uh, it was kind of crazy. We went on to it was like we were doing college visits, man to bunts of schools and seeing where we're gonna go. And you know, ultimately we chose Mesquite to play both ways in high school and uh, they had a good wrestling program, you know, so we wanted to you know, I wanted to chase the dream of winning more state titles than my dad.
Wow.
So thankfully I was able to do that, you know. So, but that was the biggest thing was for me. I want to I wanted to wrestle, and I wanted to play both ways.
What's amazing too, is in the course of basically two years, you went from New Mexico State to u of A to the NFL. What was that like that whole two years and think about the competition, right, and how it accelerated from New Mexico State and all of a sudden you're in Houston, Texan and you're playing an NFL games your rookie.
Year, right.
I think going to New Mexico State, it kind of comes full circle of me standing up here and saying that the biggest thing that this team fights for is respect and there's a reason why we're all on this team. And because you know, a guy like me goes to New Mexico State, you know, I feel like I'm a great player, you know, So you got to fight for respect every single down, you know, in some games when at New Mexico State, you're down fifty to six, right and so, and I'm still in there in the fourth quarter fighting for respect, you know. So it taught me a lot. It taught me a lot to come from there and then ended up transferring being able to come home and play for U of A, you know, and that was amazing changed my life, and I made the decision to leave from U of A. Only went there one year, and there I was getting drafted in front of my whole family. It was one of the best days of my life. But it was it was a humbling moment for sure, once all the phone calls started hanging in. And because I never had that right, I never was the big recruit, star guy. And so when I got to Houston, it was the same thing of having to earn respect. And I come here as a guy that just got injured. Wave coming off an injury, nobody really knows who I am, and they kind of just saw me on tape before. And now it's like that feeling again of being the new kid at new school and the new kid on the team of you know, you got to prove yourself every single day, you know, and I think that's something that never leaves you as long as you're in the league.
You know, what's amazing about your story as well. I grew up in Orchard Park, New York, where the Buffalo Bills played, right They play right there, and I grew up there, born and raised there, and I always wondered what that would be like to actually go and play, to play for the Buffalo Bills in I never had that opportunity to do it, and loved my time of course with a Cardinals organization for seven years. But talk to me about what it's like to actually play here. Yeah, where you grew up with your family, and there seems like there could be a lot of distractions, and at the same time, it feels like there could be a lot of good things that come from that.
And so I'll start off with the you know, as far as distraction goes everything that I do. My family, you know, thankfully, is very understanding and they allowed me to to focus on my career because they've been through the whole part.
You know with me.
Yeah, they know my they know my my daily routine and so they don't ever really budge and they're kind of really patient with me.
If I can go to things, I can go to things.
But I think the coolest thing for me playing here was, you know, being able to throw my youth camps in the off season and say an Arizona Cardinal right, and for the kids to see, oh, he's from here any place record like it's it's insane to say out loud. And then but also doing my foundation events as far as being able to meet people throughout the state and say I'm also from here. You know, the kid's eyes or or or men's eyes and women's eyes is kind of light up the moment I say it and tell.
Them where I'm from.
And uh, I think that's been the coolest thing, you know, playing here and the Arizona across your chest and means something to me, you know, and I got it tattooed on me, and uh, it's it's truly a blessing that I know. Not a lot of people get to do that players in the NFL. So I played here as an away team. Houston played here my rookie year and we cleared over one hundred people.
In that game. It was. It was insane, you know, so speaking of right right, right.
So it's been, uh, it's been a ride, man, and thankfully, you know, God blessed me to be able to play here for the home home States.
By the way, the fourth annual Roy Lopez Football Camp gonna be April of this coming year. Now, this is twenty twenty five, the Roy Lopez Foundation dot org. How about that, we're we got this all down here, Roy in fact awesome. Here's Jonathan Gann and this is back in training camp, just talking about how he'd love a bunch of Roys on his roster.
If you had ninety roys, you'd be good to go. He keeps a good attitude, He's always working on his game. He's team first. He's willing to do whatever you tell him to do. He's got a smile on his face like he's a phenomenal human being. He enjoys coming to work and he gets better at his game. So yeah, I'd love a bunch of Roys.
And having grown up here, did you take a moment the first time he went into the Cardinals locker room and there was a Cardinals jersey and helmet in your locker Was that a moment for you.
I take that moment every day. Man.
Literally, I sit there and I just kind of take a deep breath and realize where I'm at at that moment, you know. And not a lot of people, you know, people always say I wish I was new I was in the good moment when I was in it, you know.
So I always just kind.
Of breathe and look around, Like every game day, especially every home game, man, I look around like I'm really here right now, you know. Okay, lock it right, like, but yeah, the first day I showed up and I had a shirt in my locker and had Lopez number ninety eight and my theold war number ninety eight at Illinois State. He was my d line coach growing up. So I sent a picture to him and told him I was gonna wear ninety eight and told him I wore better, you know.
So oh yeah, So and then there's Week one and you get the sack and the fumble forced against Josh Allen. How about that right out of the gates, by the way, three career sacks. Are you a guy who remembers every single quarterback or does it all bleed together?
Every single one?
Okay?
All right?
So let's test you because you had one year rookie year you had you won your second year, who are the quarterbacks?
Do you remember?
Uh Brissett?
Yep?
Year set My second year was Malik willis correct, Yeah, this year was Josh Allen.
Yes, indeed, Josh Allen's a big dude, was it? I mean there's a degree of difficulty in getting him to the ground, isn't there?
Right after the play, you know, celebrated everything that uh my mom, my dad and my thee were there, and I kind of looked up at the stands.
And they're all crying, right.
Just just completely bawling their eyes out right, and so.
And I look at um, like what just happened? And they're like, I don't know, but I don't know.
And so I'm just like I'm like pacing back on the sideline, trying to just lock in and remember that I got to play a scoop block coming up, but you know, I got a couple.
Of double teams come my way.
So I think that was the biggest thing, was just being able to enjoy the quick ten seconds of it and then all right, like it's it's we're still in it.
Man.
That was the first quarter, right, so you say out another three quarters to go? So so your dad, he and I. This guy is a coach.
This guy knows what he's talking about and regarded the game of football.
Does he coach you? Does he say, boy, you gotta do this?
Yeah.
I think a lot of things that they do say in between him and my theos and my grandpa is everything that they say is more pointers right, being able to be there for me mentally right and whether that's just breathe, calm down, next play, if it was a good play or a bad play right, and being able to a pad level, keep.
Your feet hot, keep right.
I suppose.
So I think that's the biggest thing.
And then the off season we get to it and uh, and that's when we really lock in on.
You know, being harsh on me. You know, but I need that, man, I need it hard cool, I need it all Right.
We roll on.
Roy Lopez is our guest. It is a big red range presented by sand san Ford and Gilbert. We are santan Ford Live from Trophy and Chandler are located on Queen Greek Road between Price and Dobson.
Jet Sweet near side McBride Stiff Arming touchdown Fray McBride on the handoff McBride.
It's so good running the football.
Cardinals rush Byve and Trouvil Smith steps up. Sack by Fooda Baker. Hot by McBride, wrapped up, broken tackle though, and then he hurdles a defender at the forty.
That was gronk esque.
You can't control Trey McBride.
Blitz coming Rodgers has no chance. Sack by Fooda Baker. It's Tray McBride on a quick, tight end screen and into the end zone. Trey McBride who finds paydirt.
Budda Baker came off the edge clean and Aaron Rodgers got his.
Backwax between four jets. The ball is caught by Trey McBride.
Trey McBride, you are.
A bad, bad man.
Are you kidding me?
We could spend the rest of the show just going through the stats and the accomplishments from the two Pro bowlers. Arizona Cardinals official today. How about a Trey McBride and Fooda Baker going to the Pro Bowl twenty twenty four. It is a big red rage presented by Santane Ford and Gilbert. We are Santan Ford, Roy Lopez is our guest here on the Big Show and the I mean, think about Buddha Baker number two in the NFL and tackles the top twenties, like nineteen linebackers and Buddha, right, and then you got Trey McBride who's had three he count him three twelve catch games. Nobody's done that in NFL history in one season. If he has another one, he ties zach Ertz for the all time single season catch record by a tight end one sixteen, which was back in twenty eighteen or something like that. I mean, put into perspective what you've been able to see out of those two guys this year.
Yeah, I think, you know, starting with Buddha, you know, he's he's the greatest player I ever played with. Man, he's every single day he literally doesn't change, you know, And so as a fan, trust me, you guys know who Buddha is like, he's he doesn't ever change since the guy is you know, on the field, off the field, he's a he's a leader. It's it's it's amazing to watch him on tape the way he plays like I always say, he has that clip from a couple of years ago and against Seattle or he's like the guy asked him, like, how'd you make that play? And he was like, fearless, fearless right, Like yeah, it's it's exactly what he's thinking. He's fearless man.
He's Uh. It's been a blessing to be able to play with him because I've got to see him play on TV.
You know, so yeah, when you're young, I'm sure he loves hearing that. When you were younger, used to watch.
Him right and go on to college.
Yeah, yeah, he came up to be after you heard that, he started dying laughing. He was like, hey, man, you'll be saying that, you know, but it was funny.
It's uh. And then to go on the tray that is easy. The most exciting tight end to watch in the league. He's uh.
Every time he touches the wall, you think he's gonna do something right, like yeah, and then whether it's Hurtle, somebody run somebody over. But he's a he's a he's a fun guy to watch. He's he's amazing. And to know that this is your three for him, right, that's yes. Could you imagine what he's gonna do the next ten fifteen years forever long, he's gonna play like he's gonna be insane, you know, And then to say he's already on pace or trying to beat the tight end record, like who knows how many tight end records he's gonna go for, you know.
So yeah, for me, you know, Trey McBride is a guy that I continue to want to see him develop as a blocker at the point of attack, and he's done a great job of that. Now, we had a couple of games where there was a little bit of a speed bump in there, and and Trey would be the first guy to admit that.
But that's what I love about the kid.
He wants to be good.
He wants to be a true tight end, a true stud tight end, and that's the reason why. So he's developed to speak on that.
So on the plane rides me and him, or we sit right next to each other on the playing rights for away games, and so after the game, you know, I'll sit there and watch the defensive tape, and he SAIDs here, what's offense tape?
You know, And and we watched all his blocking tapes.
He's like, ah, getting on that, or he's like, what's like he loves it, man, he loves the game of football. And then I always tell people, when you're around a bunch of people that love the game of football, you're able to thrive, right. But if you're that person that doesn't love football around everybody that loves football, you'll stick out like a sore throw man, because because oh yeah, he loves it, man, he loves football through and through. So just being able to talk about him, Buddha and everybody else and on that, on that.
Note right there, when I think of Buddha Baker and you watch him on tape, it is truly incredible to see him man play fearlessly on every play, play after play after play. It's it really, And he's the smallest guy on the field. He doesn't play after play after play.
You see all the pictures and stuff of me playing, or I'm going through all my pictures and you can see Buddha just back there just like tiny man, but like it looks like he's just ready to pounce.
Man, he's a beast.
But tell people what that's like to watch a guy play like that when he's the smallest guy on the field.
Right, you're able to really back to practice though, you're able to relay it back to OTA's and then you go on to training camp and he's he's the one flying around on tape and you understand why this is the seventh Pro Bowl. You know he's selected to you understand why he's a there's nobody like him.
Man. He's uh, he's truly one of the great greatest safeties've ever played.
Again, well, it's a great segue because here's Buddha Baker today. I'm being named to his seventh Pro Bowl.
It's just, you know, head down, take one day at a time. That's how I truly feel. And these accolades are definitely a blessing. And some people don't make a Pro Bowl, you know, one time in their career. So for me to get seven, that's definitely special. And you know, I'm gonna continue to try to stay consistent, continue to be the best teammate I can be, to of course the best player I can be on the field, and you know, ultimately get to winning games.
And you talked about Nick rawlis right in the adjustments and how this defense is of all, I probably couldn't explain it. I couldn't sit here with the ex's and o's and break it down. Maybe I'll leave that, you know, to your dad and your uncle. But they have unlocked Buddha Baker and your two of this ski, have they not?
For sure?
There's no I mean it used to be teams would run to the opposite side or run away from him throw it. But no, there is no escaping Budda Baker this year.
I think the biggest thing is, you know, if you're a pitcher, you're gonna throw your best pitch right, and so you might as well just send that bullet flying.
Every single play, you know.
So, Uh, he's ready to go whenever you call his number, you know, So it doesn't matter if you call it once, twice, thirty times a game.
He's shooting it right. So he's Uh, he's awesome.
By the way, we had Trey McBride on not too long ago, and he dubbed Wolf the Quality Control run game blocking Coordinator is what he called Wolf, because we'll spend the majority of the show talking about his run block, right, Trey, He's like, come on, man, let's you know.
I'm glad you did that, but you know what I mean, honestly, Roy, I want this guy to be a true stud tight end, because if you can go eleven personnel in the NFL, one back, one tight end, three wide receivers in rundown situation first and ten second and one to six, if you can go ahead and be balanced running the ball and throwing it out of that personnel group, oh my goodness. It is such an advantage. It's one of the huge advantages that a lot of teams have when they've got that true stud tight end who can be a blocker at the point of attack and yet still produce in the past.
Especially especially with a back like James Connor. So that's that's another thing is is that's another dog right there.
Well, the team you're playing on Sunday, right, George Kittle, they've been able to do that for years.
Correct, You're you're able to hide your you know, past run keys when you're tight end can catch in and block.
So that's the biggest thing here.
You go, Trey mcplay, Trey Mcpro Bowl now being named to his first Pro.
Bowl something you dream about as a little kid. You know, obviously you want to make it to the pros and then you want to be the best. This is just one step, you know, into that right direction. This is a huge honor for me. Proud just to bring this back home where I'm from. Just a huge honor for not only me, my community, my family, and obviously this organization you know, hasn't been done by a tight end in a very long time. So this is it's a huge on it for not only me, but this organization and everybody.
I mean, he's got the best hands on the team. He's a tight end, he really does. I mean, he had this stretch of three games in a row with a hurdle and then on the sideline, he's really hard on himself, Like he could catch ten out of eleven and he is seething he didn't get that eleventh catch. Oh yeah, he's really competitive his name.
Yeah, I think that's you know, being a great player. That's part of it, you know.
And you look at the you know, the leaders on our team, they're the hardest on themselves man and truthfully, and so it's it's great to see him, you know, in year three, because you know down the road, you know, I'll be able to get to watch him and be like I leave, man, this guy's still doing it, you know. So because I understand how much he loves the game of football, how much he puts into it, he bleeds for it, and so it's a blessing to watch him.
I think you had an excellent year this year.
Thank you.
How how do you feel about your season?
Yeah, I think thankfully.
You know, I know who I am, I know what I bring to the team, and uh, you know, every single week I kind of tell my family I felt like I played great, you know So I think that's the biggest thing is.
Being happy the way I played. I enjoy it.
I get double teamed a lot, and I live for those, man. I live for the double teams, being able to split it, being able to anchor it, and like I said, when I get a single block, I lick my chops, you know. So, I think the film will speak for itself. And I'm happy with what I've done the season.
And you take your face and turn it into a flat shovel, which I happened to.
Yeah. Hey.
We continue with Roy Lopez, our special guest here on the Big Red Rage presented by santan Ford and Gilbert. Where are santan Ford? We continue live from Trophy and Chandler, located in a Green Creek Road between Price and Dobson.
First and ten.
I'm the Sanfred twenty four snapped a purty standing in the bucket all day to throw out passes, tipped and it's intercepted. It was tipped by Lopez and picked off by mac Wilson at the twenty five. The Cardinals get a huge takeaway early in the third Rock.
Perty in the pocket working to his left, comes back to his right, throws the ball. It's batted into the air by Roy Lopez and mac Wilson Senior comes.
Down with the ball.
When you tip it and another guy gets a takeaway, does like he owe you something of any sort? How does that work?
Just a high five, That's all I asked. But no, it's it's something that we get to laugh and share the moment about. But yeah, it was a great play by mac.
Oh.
Yeah, and you know what, that was a great second half by the Cardinals defense. They had four possessions, three takeaways by the Cardinals in a turnover on downs and you guys came from thirteen down and a half ten down to start the fourth quarter got out of there with that one point win. It was also about a buck eleven on that field. I mean that was hotter than Arizona. Yeah, you baye that you.
Know, Like I keep saying, from the top to the bottom, man, it's all about respect. In that halftime, I rememb I'm in the locker room, man, everybody's fired up because it was there was something that you know, I knew, we knew we got thirty minutes to go get respect, you know, And so that was the difference of I don't get me wrong, I think we were two and four at the time, right, trying to remember was week five.
So you were yeah, well no, you're two and two. Maybe yeah, maybe one and three something.
But I know the record could have went way different if we lost that game.
That was a turning point because that was the first of the four straight wins to get to six and four at the buy. Yeah, that was all part of that.
So when you watch tape right now of the forty nine ers, what are you seeing on tape?
I think the biggest thing is that they have so many weapons.
I think that's every single time, right, And even with losing some weapons, they still have so many weapons. That's a deep roster, you know, and so they played great team ball. So I think that's the biggest thing. Is you know, as a defense, we got to outperform their defense, you know, and they have a great defense.
So brock Party has been ruled out. It's that he's been ruled out for this game of course. Mc Christian, McCaffrey, Brandon Ayuk, Trent Williams. These guys are all on I R right now. So they've been decimated by injuries. Of course, tell me what you're seeing scheme wise, what kind of schemes are they still running?
Right?
We're expecting Josh Dobbs, you know, to to play, yes, you know, so you know, thankfully.
He was here, you know, so so you here kind of familiar with right talent.
Right, so being able to you know, prep for him and and he's great with his legs as well, you know, so he's also a great runner. So that's something that we got to prepare, you know, on film, you know, when watching tape san Fran understanding that you know they are going to be a great offense.
You know, I got a great one of the great play callers in this league, you know.
So but then also understand that you know, uh, Josh Dobbs, the guy that can extend a play, you know, with some of the best quarterbacks.
In the league.
Really is a different type of quarterback from Brock Purty, is he not?
Yeah, he's I know, he's confident in running the ball as well, you know, so whether that's you know, rushing to get yards or just to extend the play and make it make it throw. He's a guy who's played a lot of games in this league, you know. So you know, I know they're not going to really you know, hold back, hold him back too much here to give him the reins to run the offense.
And so I'll tell you what he can really run. I mean, he's not just mobile like he I think the sideline was like, wow, he can really run. Last year he took off a few times. Here's the other thing before he before Kyler came back, I asked him, as a NASA intern and a guy with an aerospace engineering degree, right, I asked him, do you believe in UFOs and aliens? He said no, So, just just so you're aware of that, he does not believe in UFOs and aliens astronaut right aster or not?
Yes?
Yes, hey, Roy, every member, well many members of your family are here. Okay, we want to shout out a couple of members of the Big Red Rage family. Okay, first off, we want to give special thanks to Jeff Marley, Russell Young's and the crew all season long here at and Chandler. How about that? Yes, of course our sponsor santan Ford, Tim Hovic Forard Roy rolls up and what is that f two fifty super duty you got there? Yeah, it's a too fifty super Due Limited Yeah, six point seven leader.
Yeah. Over there, that's a big girl.
That's a double ding right over there.
I like that girl over there.
Our engineer right and our our dear friend and a veteran of the army. Fifty six years ago today, Folks wald Ellis was awarded the Purple Heart. How about that? Let's celebrate that culture thirteen ladies and gentlemen. And then seated right here in the front row on the other side, one of the longest tenured Cardinals employees in team history, John Olmahundro, former Cardinals trainer Wolf. I mean you were in the training room every day and he took care of you.
Are you kidding?
Oh?
Honored with the inaugural Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame here a couple of years ago, as well.
How about that.
About that Hall of Famer right there, Johnny, oh of course, said how many times I've actually seen him kneeling over me as I was laying on my back. Oh my goodness, what is that? Okay screaming? Take wolf's helmet?
Take his helmet before he goes back into the game. Oh man, all right, So what you got anything lined up for the off season? How are you gonna get some mental health after this last game? What do you do for fun in the off season before you start training again.
I hang out with my family and we sing a lot of country music and we laugh a lot.
I just picked up golf, which I'm terrible at. Oh man, that's pretty fun. So yeah, we'll do that. We'll go to country concerts around the nation and entertain ourselves.
Do you play anything any instrument? Do you play it?
Or no? You just I'm a great, sham, I'm a great Are you serious? Like in the car?
Yes?
Okay, Starling Thomas was trying to get booted. Listen, Chris Stapleton. It didn't didn't work out, So well that does you need to hang out with star I.
Gotta I gotta throw it on the throw it on the stereo.
That's right, all right special thanks Jim Almonro, Cody Fincher, Wald Ellis, Lawrence Ellis, Allen or any barambo Field, Paul calpc What a season The Big Red Rage presented by San san Ford and Gilbert.
You've been listening to The Big Red Rage presented by santan Ford and Gilbert right on the Price, right on the corner of the Santan two two Freeway in val Visca. The Rage is brought to you by Arizona Cardinals Podcast. Visit Azycardinals dot com slash podcast.
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