Fred Warner, NFL's top Linebacker, on what he means by being so good they can’t ignore you, Super Bowl heartbreak to battling Injury, 49ers facing the Rams, traveling to Australia, chasing the Lombardi, season preview and his growing family.

0:00Ferret Warner isn't just a middle linebacker, he is the middle linebacker. But you let him tell it, he wasn't even supposed to be here. So how does a kid from BYU who played out of position and ran 464 at the Combine become the best middle linebacker in the NFL? You just outwork everybody. So Ferret invited the pivot fam to keep pivoting with us so he came over prepared for his biggest pivot yet. And his conversation goes way beyond football. He takes us back to the injury the night before, sitting on that field and the gratitude he felt. Also, the tough recovery. We go back even further to his days of recruiting, his college years, and the woman who means everything to him. Yes, his mother. And then we get into the personal stuff, sliding into his wife's DMs, whether he would have missed the birth of his child for a game. Oh, and what sort of teammate is Dejaun love? Now I'm just checking to make sure that y'all listen to it. This is the time to talk football,

1:01though. The 2026 season opening against the Rams and the best quarterback that Ferret Warner has ever played. He also mentions that that guy could actually be on his team. And when it comes to linebacker, it's Fred Warner and nobody else. So it's only right that our very first show on Netflix starts with the best. So pivot fan. Once again, thank you for pivoting with us. For that limit. Dig a stomach. I'm a fan man. I'll be tuned into the show. You know what I'm saying? Boy, pivot fan. Thanks for pivoting with us. There you go. Here it is. Go ahead. I'm going to go. I'm going to go ahead. I was, bro. I was. Speaking of, this is a major pivot. This is our first show on Netflix. So the

2:03pivot fan, that's always been pivoting with us. We're now pivoting to a new platform with all pro-bola team captain. Iron Man Award winner, everything here at our San Francisco, Fred Warner. This is Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor. I'm Ryan Clark, Pivot fan again. Thank you for pivoting with us. Ironically, my birthday is October 12th, right? Which is a day that is now an infamy in your career. October 12th, 2025. A day like any other five tackles away from breaking the San Francisco 49ers tackle record. Early on in that game, you get injured. It's like seeing a superhero be hurt, right? You really haven't felt anything like that since freshman year, BYU. Take me back to that moment and what you're thinking when you know that your 20-25 season is old. If I'm answering the question, like, what did I feel in that moment? It was obviously the shock of what was going down, but there was also like a sense of peace and calmness about it because

3:05I remember the night before. I'm in my hotel room. You know, I journal before the game. I'm talking to God and I'm like just just talking about how grateful I was just for the moment that I was in. We just came off a huge win on the road. Thursday night football against the Rams. Nobody, nobody thought we were going to win that game. You know, I'm having a great season and I was just so thankful for that moment. I'm like, man, I can't wait to go out to mall give my first interception to the season, Baker Mayfield. That's the top of time I was on. I'm thinking it was going to be the best game of the season for sure, right? Like I was feeling great. And then when that happened, it was like, whoa, like it was kind of crazy, but at the same time, I'm like, God, he's so perfect. His plan is perfect to where I was like, man, this is I'm exactly where I need to be, right? That's why I didn't I didn't shed a tear. You know, I'm saying I was I was people are like, man, why are you smiling on the cart going back? You just snapped your leg and have your seasons over, but for me, it was like, man, I don't ever blink. It would be wrong of me to, you know, in the moments that things are great saying God, you know, has a plan everything I'm for a reason. And then in the times of when it's chaos all around, people are shrieking, you know,

4:08the crowd shrieking because they're showing the replay. And it's like, oh boy, it's like, no, like unfortunately, this has had to happen for a reason, right? For me, it was like just to come back even better than never in short, but he would, it looks like to really come back out on top. I felt like pops on Friday. Get up, Fred. Get up, Fred. I don't even know that voice. Yeah, you see that second angle now. Yeah, no, yeah, getting up from that one. Just speaking about the injury though, like at the moment, you were smiling, which was crazy. But at that, like, the after of it, because all time, before time, all pro, your team captain, lead of the defense, cause the plays. We all saw you up in that box. They kept showing you. You didn't look comfortable in that box at any moment that I saw you in that box. And they never looked for that. Coping, you, you play seven seasons, not missing a snap. Right. And now you've done. How did you deal with that when it hits you that I can't play football for the rest of the day? No, there definitely was a moment that hit me. You know, I'm, I get the surgery done. Finally, it took, I think a full day of me sitting around and then finally get the surgery.

5:10And then my legs throbbing. I go to that game against Atlanta. I think it was that following game. I had to deal with the pain of that after work, cause I'm up in that suite with my leg barely, you know, attached to itself. And so it was hard, man, because like, to go from being the man. And then you, just the small things like walking, walking from the couch to the kitchen. I'm on, I'm on a scooter where I'm like, it took, it took everything, it was taking everything for me to just do simple tasks. And so like, there was moments that like, I broke down. I'm like, man, this is just, it's rough. But, you know, I just keep reminding myself of just staying in present in the moment. Everything was going to pass. But God bless my wife. She was like nine months pregnant at the time. She over there having to like do everything for me. I'm feeling bad, because I'm supposed to be doing everything for her. So it was, it was a rollercoaster, you know, but I just, I kept my head down and I had the vision of what, you know, what I was trying to do, setting out to do so. It worked out. You wanted the best to ever put on a jersey, man. And I just want to get those flowers. Appreciate it. But you also, big team captain here, one of the

6:10leaders of this prestigious organization, you're the perfect person to ask. What type of teammate was Dejaun Love? Well, I don't know what's up like. Where is this going, man? He going somewhere and greet teammate. It's my best friend. No, I seen him. He pulled something about me looking at a story. I'm like, what the, hey, why you pick me to Photoshop the tag on there? I'm like, man, come on now. Why not you? And then I got people tagging me like, oh, Fred, it's all the story. He just advocated his whole life. You think that that's the one real part of what he posted. Oh, that friend looking at this stuff. Crazy. That is crazy. But no, seriously, you know, San Marcos largely raised by your mom did a great job raising you guys. What's so almost on her own? Looking back at that during your injury and trying to get through it all, were you able to lean on any of that upbringing and reflect on the sacrifices that she made in order to kind of help you

7:12make your journey and your fight back a little bit easier? Yeah, I mean, my mother is the reason why I am who I am for everything that I've done. Not just for that injury, in particular, like, yeah, I had a different mindset to come back from that thing stronger, better than ever. But it's all encompassing in my life for my mindset and why I've been able to achieve what I've been able to achieve. You know, her sacrifice teaching me and my siblings about hard work, you know, I wouldn't be where I met without her. So I think that was just another, another moment to, you know, bring it, you know, the testimony of men, what hard work can bring because when everybody saw me out there in January on the practice field in the playoffs, you know, that it was like, whoa, what the heck? This guy had his leg twisted the other direction just a couple of months ago and now he's out here on the field. And so I, I use every opportunity to show, you know, what, what she was able to do for me and my siblings, right? I think I can't, I can't obviously think her enough for what she did for

8:13us. But everything is a moment to be able to show that. So here's my question now. If we're not injured and we got an opportunity for the San Francisco 49ers to get the number one overall seat, but Sydney going into labor. What decision are we making if we're not hurt now? That's a perfect question because I had to ask myself the same thing because we're out there right. Like, they're, you know, they're playing in the game against Seattle for the one seat while I'm in a hospital room. She's about to get birth and we sat there. We're like, well, what would you have done if you weren't hurt? What would I've done if I was hurt? I would have been at that game. I force me by any way it is. And so it laying to listen. I love my babies. I love my wife. It would have been a tough decision, but the one seat that lay in the year, they, I got to be out there. You know what I'm saying? Luckily, she didn't get birth till like I think later that night or the next. It was the next day actually. So I still would have been there. But I still would have done both. But boy, yeah, God works in mysterious ways because I was able to be there. So tell me about this then, right? Because you know, we love, we love

9:15love on this show. Oh, okay. Love. Channers, Channers favorite saying. What was the deal that started this you want me to put everybody on game? This life will love you. Because you want me to help help out the fellas a little bit. They got young people watching this and they feel like you can go to Dejan Love route or you can go to Fred Warner route. I think both of them. I think both of them. Dejan, yeah, wow. We can go. Yeah, I don't want to talk too much about Dejan. But you know, I'm not going to say exactly. I'm going to keep that between her and I. If she ever one day get on a podcast, I want to say what I said, she can go ahead. But I was real smooth with her and and let her know that she was she was a beautiful young lady. You know what I'm saying? And I wanted to get to know her more. So that's that's kind of how I went down, you know, she didn't know anything about football or who I was and it took a little while for her to respond to my DM. So I got nervous. But then when she finally did respond, I got the number and we're texting. She's from Alabama. Yeah. So we're communicating across the country and the stars definitely line. Right. That's really her.

10:20It wasn't a moji bombing because that's what I read. A moji bombing sent a whole bunch of pictures. No, no pictures. No, no, no, no pictures. No, the little moji just look at smiling and oh, there may have been an emoji to you. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They're made a bunch of moji in there. They're way, they listen, whatever gets it done. Whatever, they're dead. We livin it. Look what we have right. Look what we have. Look what we have. Come on. That's it. So you know what mean? But now, man, for you, Fred, man, you know, I know the number 464 stands out for you, right? I've watched a ton of Fred Warner tape. I've never looked at that tape and went, this guy runs the 40, 464. You know, for the way you study, the way you diagnose, anything that your coaches say about you, they talk about your anticipation for the game that you've tapped out your potential, right? That everything got put in you, you find a way to bring that to the field. For you, what started that journey of making sure I understood everything that was going on that would allow me to play faster

11:24than what my time makes it? Ooh, we, let's see. We go back 2018, young Fred Warner, Brigham Young, 464. I was, you know, my comp coming out was a Lonnie Fuha, who was a former BYU player, probably nobody probably knows who that is. You know, it took time, right? It was, I was definitely a project, and God bless anybody out there who comes out nowadays, their first round draft picks, or, you know, high draft picks, and they're expected to play day one. I wasn't that guy, right? I was a third round draft pick who was a project, never played stack off the ball linebacker, and I got put with the best linebacker coach, you know, in my opinion, of all time, almost beside Johnny Holland, in the Miggle Ryan's. He was his first year as a linebacker coach, my first year as a linebacker in our system, and Robert Salah, he had a vision for me, and fitting in his scheme, and they were able to tap into that just through belief in me first. Like, the fact that I had guys who believed in me, and I didn't know if I'd even believed in myself yet, because I hadn't done it, right?

12:24You know, I knew I wanted to be great, I knew I belonged to the NFL, but to have those guys believing me, and coach me at heart, you know, I'm forever indebted to them first. I kind of started to make a player too, I'm like, uh-oh, I think I belong now, and then it was just a matter of like, okay, how far can I take this thing? And it was always a constant quest, a constant curiosity of how to keep taking that next step, and I always remember Kyle Shanahan and the team being saying, just something simple, like, you really getting better, or you getting worse in his lead, you ain't never staying the same. And that always just resonated with me of like, man, you always gotta be finding ways to get better, because you're never just entering a new season, like the same player. Oh, you're the number one linebacker, you're this then the third, like, well, guess what? Once you hit the top, you know what, it's even harder, yeah. It's nowhere good to go, but down, or stay the same. So it's like, how are you gonna continue to try to find a way to get better even when you've reached that? So that's what has allowed me to continue to stay hungry and start for flaws in my own game, because that's truly what it was.

13:24That's what it was. It's like, okay, they told me I was slow, they told me I wasn't physical, they told me I couldn't use my hands, so I was like, okay, perfect. This is what they said I can't do. Let's work on those things and let's make them strengths. And then you looked up, and it was like, whoa, now they calling me the best in the game. And it was like, whoa, how did that happen? And it was like, man, I just, I had great people around me, coaches, mentors, players. And I just was honest with myself at the end of the day, you know what I'm saying? I was like, okay, boom, you say I suck at this, let me go make it good. I'm trying to call on the coaches, I don't know names anyway, but it seemed like you were out of position in high school college. Honestly, like nobody set you off the ball, and then in the 49er said, hey, let's take this big one. Put them on the ball. Yeah, it was a perfect storm. Don't think about it, Hall of Fame pass, but you went third round. Right. You went to BYU. There's no way you'll be gassed to be that BYU. You want to say a little back there, a little. Okay, but I'm just like, put weight on. Yeah, but there's some players like, I think you had a position. That's simple, is that? Yeah, it was funny too though,

14:24because like, it was honestly the perfect storm for me, because at BYU they had me playing like nickel, out in space a whole lot, right? Almost like a DB type of position, where in the league, that wasn't, that wasn't the thing at the time. And then so then when the league started to kind of change into more, they want stack guys who can play in space and do those sort of things. It was like, I already know how to do that. That's where I'm comfortable. You asked me to go out and play in space and cover receivers and tight ends and backs. Like, I know how to do that. It was, for me, it was like learning how to now strike 330 pound linemen, boom, X off, go. Make a third tackle where I'm knocking guys back instead of getting drug, drag tackling cats. You know, and that's kind of how it worked. But luckily, the whole like, playing out of position actually worked in my favor because it was, I was writing the revolution of the position a little bit. Yeah, we see the development as a player, but let's talk about the development as a young man to a man going to BYU at a, as an 18 year old and leaving home and then going that far. Like, just talk about who you were when you arrived to BYU.

15:26And who were you four years later when you left? I was barely, I think, on 17 when I stepped on the campus. So it was like, it was a shock for sure, because I'm from SoCal going to Utah. That was a big adjustment right in itself. But you talk about just four years of just the maturation process. As a, like you said, as a man, as a player, trying to just figure, figure life out on your own when you, you know, you're the man of the house growing up. So it was, it was definitely an adjustment. And I'm so grateful for my, for my time there, because it helped me obviously the where I'm at now. What other scholarship offer did you have coming out? It was a weird process, because like, I got the, I got a New Mexico State offer was my first offer. BYU was the next day and then it was just go silent. Like, nobody was talking to me. I went on a visit to BYU. My mom said, this is perfect. It would be safe, sound, boom. We locked it in. I'm committed. Back then, that's when commitment actually meant something. Not days, they don't even know. I don't know if they committed anymore. Did they commit or did they just sign the dotted line? I don't know, but. Yeah, I have a contract. And then later on in my, in my recruitment process,

16:28I'm hitting the 7 on 7 circuit. I'm making moves out in LA, you know, competing. And my name starts getting around. And that's why I started getting, you know, the PAC-12 offers. You know, random school, you know, like Nebraska can't come. It was just like different schools came along, but it was late in the process. At that time, I'm like, my mom, my mom definitely was like, you're not going anywhere else. We were already committed commitment. You're going here. So, and I'm so grateful for it, honestly, and Bill, he was the right path. And you speak about your mom, you know, to have that match her faith as well, I think it helps a young man continue to grow, but that closeness in the bond, I'm sure she felt good to have you there. NFC West is an absolute treacherous road, no. And so I know there are some rivals within that. But, man, you got to hate Kansas City. I mean, great. We don't like them. We don't love that. For it is, it is, we always have this conversation. I talk about like, I won the Super Bowl, and I've lost it. I've been twice, and always tell them,

17:29I rather not go than to lose it. Right? Because it hurts that bad. You've been on, you know, on record saying, the first one scarred you for life, bro, to get there two times, to play that well, and have, and find ways to basically snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, how did those two games change you and your perspective on winning championships? It not only changed my perspective on winning the big one, but it changed my perspective on just the game in general, right? Like, you say that you would never want to, you'd rather just not go in to feel that pain. I'm the opposite. I'd much rather have the opportunity to go and compete for one, because if not, then you never even have a chance at it, right? And I'm not afraid of that pain, that failure. I don't want to feel that pain again. I'll tell you that. It's a nasty pain, but I'll say the second one probably hurt more than first only because

18:30the first one, I was so young, in my second season, you write, I'm just out there trying to make plays. I got leaders on the team like Joe Staley, Riches Sherman, DeForest Buckner's. There are the guys who are like the captains of the team and kind of steering the ship. That second time around, who are the leaders of the team? Me, George Kittle, CMC's, you know what I'm saying? So that one stung more because like damn, I'm the one who's, I feel like I'm responsible now. From not hitting, like not pulling that off. And of course, everybody knows how that game happened with Dre going down, so that was like the added just extra little thing with that one. But yeah, man, I mean, it is what it is. Like there are certain things that you carry from those games that stay with you forever in terms of like, man, how you go throughout a game and don't get too high, don't get too low. I remember that first game against Kansas City in Miami. We're up 10. Yeah, we're up 10 in the fourth quarter. I have an interception on Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. And I'm thinking, hey, man, if I just get a couple more tackles, I might win some boy MVP. Like that was the conversation on the sideline line.

19:33And how foolish, right of me to sit there and be talking like, that's what being naive and your second year, that's what happens, right? So, you know, you learn from those mistakes. And now then, of course, the legend of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reed and all that grows. And at the end of the day, we got to go through them at some point to finally make it. But we'll see. We'll hurt more. Watching Dre injure himself running on to the field or the actual loss. Your reaction to that was not just from watching the film. That was all I needed to know about Dre Green law's value to the team and to you. Yeah, I mean, specifically to me for short, like, that's a brother to me, right? And I care about the person first. And to see him go down in that moment where he didn't even get his chance to like go down in the battle. You know what I'm saying? Like, we run out on the field and that happens. No words, no words. You know, I remember going to that half time

20:35seeing him in there and like, I'm losing it. I had to like, I had to get myself together, right? I heard more not to win it for him. You know what I'm saying? Because like, that could have been the perfect opportunity. Your boy goes down like, amen, let's win this thing for Dre. And so to not come out and get that done for him, that probably heard more. But you know, now we get a second opportunity to go try and chase it again, man. You just, it's rare in life, you get another opportunity like that. That's a question I have for you, is that to have Dre back. Like both of y'all just basically chalked up 2025. That's in the history books. Yes. And now you have them back. Like, what does it mean to you to know that he's back here both of you are healthy and ready to go? No, it means everything. I, when I got that phone call from Dre, I'm grinning near the ear, because it's true. Like in this league, man, when the guys kind of, they make the decision to go off in pre-agency and go somewhere else, it's rare that you have an opportunity to come back to a place where you call home, you know, and so the fact that we get an opportunity again to come back and do this thing again and make sure we do it right. You know, it's the hungry as both of us have ever been, right?

21:37For him, he's going, coming from a different situation, finally being able to come home and prove himself again, being here me, coming off injury, wanting to prove myself and show that I'm still, like, still the best in the game. So it's like, it's the perfect recipe for us to just go out and really bring that heat every single Sunday. Well, how can you get better? Yeah. Honestly, I played line back, bro. I played it in and we could, we could talk about, man, we got all the time. Don't give me no coach speech. Really? You have goals set high on what you're, like, all pro, like, what's definitely. Like, how can, I know it's to everybody when it's football. You don't bend it too, so I know that's even that you too. But you personally, like, what are you going to do more than be top three in the league in tackles and have multiple sex? You don't call 17 damn force fumbles. I ain't even know that. That's crazy, bro. Like, what, you have goals set high for what is for sure? You say you journal, like, what are you really writing that journal? You say, gold, what are you doing? What I mean, I'm never, I'm never sending a limit on myself, right? I'm always shooting for stuff that is probably unattainable, right? And if I fail, I'm falling, I'm falling, at least

22:39in this little area right here where it's like, you know what I'm saying? Here's how I phrase it. I shouldn't even be here right now as it is. You know what I'm saying? I was never supposed to be this person. I was never supposed to be, you know, the Fred Warner, everybody knows, you know, I'm little old Fred Warner out of San Marcos, BYU. So it's like, if I was able to achieve what I've already done, it's like, well, what's stopping me from achieving even more, you know, than what I've been able to do? And it's like the last, the last linebacker of winning defense player of the year, I think, was Luke back in 20, what, 15? 15. About a decade. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, I mean, I know they value sacks and everything. But if you, if you can just be so good, like my, my coach, Johnny Holley, you should say, man, you be so good, they can't ignore it. Man, why not? Right? Your numbers got to be dumb. They got to be stupid. Yeah. They got to be good. The team got to be good. The defense got to be good. And that's truly what matters most. I want to make sure that my play is what is infectious throughout the entire team to ultimately achieve what we want to go out and do. We've got to be a little naive.

23:39I didn't agree with you on that, by the way. Young and naive. And you've got to set the limit. You've got to set the bar high. I'm shooting that thing way through the ceiling. Right. Way through the ceiling. So I'm delusional in that way. You know what I'm saying? I've lived in delusion my whole career of saying, telling myself when I was early on, like, man, I want to be the best. And it's like, what? You ain't going to be the best, a little 48. You know what I'm saying? Scrony cat. Yeah, what you mean, you want to be the best? It's like, I want to be the best. You know, you do the things that require being the best. And all of a sudden, you look up and it's like, hey, we got stuff to work on still, though. I'm close. You know what I'm saying? For you, you know, I know what I would do was every off season, I'd go watch a group of safes that I respected. And then I'd go watch my tape. And I'd say, OK, this particular thing I want to work on. You mentioned early on in your career, being like, they said, I can't do this. They said, I can't do that. They said, I can't do that. So let me go work on those things. As a rookie, I think you missed like 18 tackles, right?

24:41You wouldn't work on that now. What did his homework? Yeah. Now when you missed 18 for real? Yeah, 18. Now when you missed one, now when you missed one, I really wanted like, damn, what he do. Oh, yeah. Now like, what he do to make for him is for you this off season in understanding and being able to sit back for those 12 games. And think about who you wanted to be coming into this season. What in particular have you been focusing on leading up into this game against the Rams? Yeah, man, I mean, I want to be so dominant in terms of like, first of all, taking the ball away. I want to be the separator in terms of that from the position where it's like, OK, you got your linebackers who can cover, who can play the run. But it's like, what's the thing that's going to really change the game for your team at the end of the day? And so I think that's why edge rushers are out of premium because they're the ones who are over there affecting the quarterback on a playing play out basis and being able to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands, force the tips and over those for defensive backs.

25:43So I want to be that cat that's really affecting the football first and foremost. And then it goes to like, all right, what haven't I done yet up to this point? We just talked about edge rushers affecting the quarterback in the blitz game and having that opportunity to try to get one-on-ones with backs. Coming through the big gap against guards, like winning those one-on-ones, I look at all that, man. Hand block destruction, tackling. I'm always nitpicking my game. At this point is me against me. So I'm always trying to see like, OK, like what do I need to do if it's not up to the standard and I've got to look at it? The mental part of the game though, not only understanding what you have to do or the way you want to focus on the game, but lining everybody up, right? Being able to communicate, distribute the call throughout. Bro, it's been D'Mico, Robert, Steve, Sorenson, back to Robert. Now you got rock.

26:44We've been around him a ton. That's a different level of energy. That walks into the building every day. As the leader of this defense, what is your responsibility as it pertains to making sure that Rahim Morris' message is distributed throughout the defense each and every day, especially from an energy standpoint? Yeah, I mean, I'm always trying to out-energy the energy, man, in Raw. You know what I'm saying? I remember one of his first defensive meetings. He's like, good morning, fellas. And I'm like, great morning. He's like, whoa, great morning. All right. I guess it's great morning from here on out. So it's like, you know, I'm trying to beat that guy consistently, right? I'm not just a sometimes type of cat. Like I'm not just sometimes coming in with great energy or sometimes bringing the energy to practice. Like, first of all, it's about being consistent. And it's about having that relationship with Raw, of knowing, like, all right, what is his vision of our defense? What is he trying to, you know, what's the message he's trying to get across to the group?

27:45So then I know me and him are on the clear same page. So then I'm funneling it to the rest of the group, right? And, you know, I think that's where it starts at it ends. But it's a constant evolution, right? It's not going to be a finished product come week one of what we're trying to achieve. It's going to be all season. But that thing better look darn good come week one. I'm saying that. It better be damn close. Yeah, it better be damn close because, I mean, obviously, we were playing. But, yeah, I mean, I'm excited for the challenge though. I was never good enough to do this, but I played with Junior Say I on Zach Thomas. And they used to do it. Yeah, so you up there with them. Can you tell Raul Robert and them? You have some crazy deep as a coordinator played under. Right. The list you just named is not crazy. Yeah, but could you be they'll put something in be like, right, that shit got. Oh, yeah. You know, do you get you had a catcher to do that? No, I mean, I don't know if I'm just straight up calling it garbage. I mean, we might have a conversation about trying to, you know, like, let's talk about this a little bit. But that's a beautiful part about guys that are, I mean, coordinators I played under is like, they're all humble in that, in that way of wanting to have that over communication.

28:47Because, you know, there's, I'm sure there's some guys out there as like, man, it's my way at a highway, which, hey, cool, like, whatever you got to do what you got to do as the guy who's at the top. But I've always played with guys who are open to that conversation when it comes to different plays. But, and usually they're not, they're not staying anything as garbage either. But, you know, I haven't, yeah, I really, June, but God rest his soul. He's put a, a blitz in and they'd have him line to run through somewhere else saying, nope. What do you mean, June? I'm going around. You mean, you wanted to bet there? You know what I mean? You get to do what you want. That's right. Over under, tears come in during the anthem before I have to the kickoff. When you come back. No tears. No tears for me, dog. Yeah, I think I'm going to be in such a bad place at that point. I like that, dog. Like that. Yeah, I'm saying I ain't going to be no tears to be shed at that moment. But it'll be special though, right?

29:48You know, it'll be special to finally being that moment. I haven't really thought about it as like the first time back though, to be honest. Like, everything has been such a smooth transition. I think it was so important for me to come back in the playoffs last season, even though I didn't play in the game. But like to have my feet on the ground practicing and feeling like myself again, allowed me to just kind of really like just take it as if I'm going in the next season. I'm really healthy, trained and hard today. It was never like a, oh, okay, my first practice back, oh, my first game back. It's like, no, I like, I just got to go out there and I got to do my thing, right? My team needs me. You know, so I need to go out there. I need to be who I need to be. Yeah, the team needs me part. Did that time away or the time out from the games? Did that give you a different feel for your role as a leader? Like a different perspective, like watching the game from the outside as opposed to being immersed in it? Yeah, I mean, it was different, man, because we've talked about it. I win seven straight seasons, especially in my position without really missing time.

30:52And so throughout those seven seasons, you see guys go down. They're kind of away from the team. You always want your setback and you wonder like, what happened to Buddy? You kind of, you kind of dipped out on us. What's going on? And then I'm in that situation. And I'm like, damn, I wonder, I think in that I abandon them because it's not even that you necessarily don't want to be a part of the team anymore. It's like, man, I have to focus so much on my rehab and it'd be silly for me to sit in the meetings throughout the season, prepping for different teams. When I could be using that time more wisely to get back quicker, right? So it was strange in that fact of not really being feeling like a part of the team when you're at one point feeling like you're the guy that people are relying on and looking at and now you're like, I'm not really a part of the team anymore. But even though you really, you are, but like, that's what the feeling is. So that was tough. But you know, I feel like I still did a good job of staying around the guys and staying connected. Well, Iron Sharpen's Iron, man. And I remember, you know, back when we were great defensively in Pittsburgh, we always

31:55stopped the run. But that was because at practice, you had to stop the run, right? Like you, they was going to run it. And y'all knew it. Y'all knew it was running it. And you're going line up and figure it out, right? So that was the thing. And so beginning of the season, we ran the ball well, but we stopped the run, right? And we played everything from that. Every day you're out there, man, Christian McAfry is on the other side and also Kyle Shanahan. Yes. Talk a little bit about what those battles are like and how that allows you to keep competing at a high level in practice. So when you move into stadiums, it's not this whole jump up this game time because I've been preparing that way the entire off season. Yeah, man. I mean, I've been blessing that way. Like my whole career being a part of this franchise, competing against Kyle as our play caller in our offense. And then you mentioned Christian getting him in 2022. That was like, I still remember that moment being in the barber chair. My barber, he turned to me like, bro, y'all just got Christian McAfry. I'm like, real quick playing man. Get that on my Facebook.

32:55Like no life for real. You got Christian McAfry. I'm like, oh, we both have an old way of screaming, bro. It was crazy. But you know, of course, yeah. That's going to breathe the best out of me. I'm going to try to get the best out of him. And really like going to, you know, I'm sure everybody got their opinion about Brock Party. My opinion best out, best out. Okay. And then look, of course, everybody going to be like, man, what the heck you talking about, bro, they got the job challenge, the patch of my bones. The way that he be out there playing the position at the highest level, I'm just telling you right now, just stay to him. I'm just going to tell you right now. You can't, you didn't have me in a blender a little bit. And I don't give that up to anybody. But, you know, competing against the best every day obviously is only going to get the best out of me and vice versa. And yeah. So then we go out there, man. Going against Kyle System, you go out and you play Matthew Stafford in the Rams Week One, you're definitely way more prepared for that situation. Had you played in a different system for somebody else elsewhere, and I just never known any difference. So I've always been ready to go week one, no preseason, no nothing, let's go.

33:58this role, it's like, man, this is most competition you're gonna get. The philosophy of shenanigans, because we go to a lot of camp. We've been to y'all camp. First thing we say, we go to camp. Oh, these boys are out of banging. Yeah. We won't call any other teams, but we go to other teams without, oh yeah, they ain't hitting like that. No, no. But the philosophy of it, we know that y'all are going bang, but then everybody's trying to keep people healthy. For sure. But if you ain't banging, you ain't ready to bang when it's time. Yeah, absolutely. How do you feel like that, that definitely helps. It's a balance. It is a hard balance. But I think Coach Shenanee does a great job of talking with our sports trainers, sports science, all that, all the people that conjure up the scheduling and everything and how we're going to do things. To take care of the guys, because obviously, we know what kind of, what the roster looks like. So having to protect guys, but also it's like, all right, when our feet touch that grass, there is no like, oh, half speed this, that in the third is like, no, we're going to go all out and we're playing football, let us kind of taper y'all down in terms of like, all right,

35:02when are y'all on the grass? How long are you on the grass? But when we on the grass, we going, you know, we're not, we're not tiptoeing into this thing. It's like, we're playing ball. So that's just kind of how, how we've gotten down. How much do y'all think about the legend of the substation? Yeah, man, that's just folklore. Yeah, bro. And it's, it's all y'all fans. Yeah, man, I mean, that thing blew up last year, right? You got me going down, you got Bosa going down. It was the perfect storm for every, for all of it, right? Then as soon as it, number all pros, everybody's hurt. And then people called it out and they're like, oh, that's the reason why everybody's hurt. It's not the reason we were hurt. I had a freaking freak accident. Somebody ran, flew into my leg and broke it. Yeah. And you know, it just is what it is. It's football is a violent game and injuries are going to happen. And then there's the whole age of it all, you know, if you're older, you're more susceptible to injuries, just that, listen, at the end of the day, it's football. There's no substation. That's that, that's, that's not a real thing. Hey, the, you know, the one thing, because I keep thinking about great defenses, the one thing that we would do and the conversations we would have during the week,

36:05every time we played Baltimore, right? You know, James Ferry was our middle linebacker and we would have conversations about Ray Lewis and Troy was the safety I played. We would have conversations about Ed Reed. And yeah, like Joe Flacco, like they mattered, but our thing was, hey man, we don't know how many points we're going to score, right? We got to dial in on what we are doing to help our offense, whether it's get the ball back for them, whether it's give them short feels, all of those different things. When you head into a game like you're playing against the Rams, who know, I mean, Stamma Vendors, right? They went out, you know, you bring in Miles Garrett, right? You bring in Trent McDuffy, obviously Aaron Donald is now back. How much do you think about making sure you can add to what your offense could do facing a defense that is as stacked as the Rams will be? Yeah, I mean, I think that's that's a good point. I think the mindset remains the same.

37:05Regardless of the opponent, I want to make sure our standard for what we're trying to do as a defense isn't dictated off of whoever we're playing and what our offense might be seeing. Like, no, it wouldn't matter whatever the team is, our goal every week is to pay the shutout. Is that realistic? Of course not. Got to think that way. But you have to have the mindset, right? And it's like, I want to make sure that that's not lost amongst the group. And it's like, what are we truly seeking? What are we searching for? Like, what's going to allow us to have the best opportunity to go in a championship? You know, and so at the end of the day, man, whether it was the Rams or anybody else, like, we're trying to go out there. We're trying to, we're trying to put our best foot for it at the end of the day, right? We know what the task that we have as a defense and competing against Stafford and then boys on offense, what our offense has to do with against their defense and then boys that they got on their side. At the end of the day, man, we're just going to put the ball down. We're going to play ball and we're going to see what happens. But the mindset remains the same with Roads City opponent. Talk about Stafford. Who do you play? Because they make a check. You got to make your check.

38:05And then they look in and they see the safety rolling down. So they make a check. You got to make a boy. Who's the most fun to play with the mental game with on the Saturday night? Yeah, Stafford up there for sure, man. I mean, it's just like, it's different when you're playing a caddy. What, he 40? 40 is old. But when you guys, a guy's seen everything. He's done everything, you know, it's like, and of course, now you're not only competing against him. You're competing against the McVay and his play calling and you're trying to figure out like, okay, what was, what was their plan all along? What are they trying to attack? What have they seen on film? That chess match with Stafford, him the no looks. He looking this way, throwing it back that way. So do I look at his eyes? Do I play like he knows? Like I'm thinking he's looking at my eyes. It's like that constant like back and forth, dog. It's crazy. And so the fact that we playing week one, where there's no tape, he ain't seen me in a minute because I was out last year. I ain't seen him in a while. Both teams don't play the starters in the preseason. So it's like, you roll, you roll the dice with that and like, y'all, y'all boys go ahead, go out there and let's see what happens.

39:06Yeah, I probably say Stafford, dog. That's the one where it's like, man, that chess match throughout the game with like trying to play that game is a fun battle for sure. And that's like, Lily, you know, Lily, man, they just rolled the ball out. See ball, get ball. Yeah, they ain't no see ball, get ball with them. You better make sure you know what you're doing. You better make sure you know what you're doing. It's going to be a long day. Yeah, that's part of it though. Like what separates an athletic linebacker from a linebacker who truly, truly understands the position. Like you got linebackers, but then you got, you know what I'm saying lineback guys that know. Oh, I'm proud of you. Yeah, every fucking yeah, nobody told me you know what, man, and you know, we talked about the four six four thing. God bless me with an ability when it comes to like upstairs. Just like my brain is operating at a higher frequency than probably most. And that's what that's my edge. That's what gives that's my super power is like just being able to really try to

40:07die sick was going on like quick and in hurry because when you know a game day in the NFL, man, things are happening so fast. That's a lot of guys they freeze up when they when all of a sudden they're seeing something that they may have not seen or you know, all these different motions and checks and it's a lot. And especially at Mike, like you're communicating to the whole rest of the defense and then you still got to settle in, play your game and go affect the ball somehow. So, you know, some guys it just comes easier than others. For me, that part kind of came a little easier. And I worked on it a ton to like to really be able to process out of high level. But I think it's true just with any position, but especially linebacker quarterback, the processing ability to really digest information and and and get things clicking at a high frequency. That's where you see the guys who are probably, you know, the mostly leading elite. I know, I know they hate you at joint credit. I know you did the punch the ball out, guy. No, they love me. I know. I know we hugging like this. They already know. All right, no, the running back, the running back coach man, the running,

41:08they're like, man, that's fray, man. He always punch you like those balls. I love me some joint practice, man. It's tough, man. Camp bro is long. You can you be young guys up for so long and you get a fresh face, man. It's fun to just kind of get that change up in camp. The one thing I didn't want to give you a chance to do before you left, man, like you, you represent all of your heritage. But, you know, you represented, you know, Mexico and been a part of making sure people understood that about your mother and the way that you've grown up. Why was that? Why has that been important for you as you've gotten more popular, become more successful to make sure you pay homage to that piece of you? Yeah, I mean, it was it was important for me first of all because, you know, football has brought so much to my life. It's such a beautiful game, man, where it brings guys of all different sort like from all different ethnicities and backgrounds and upbringings and brings them all together for, you know, trying to achieve the same thing, right?

42:09Right. And for me, I represent a lot of backgrounds, a lot of cultures. And, you know, I think it'd be a shame if I just went out there and said, man, I'm just trying to play ball. It's like, no, I feel like I, football is a platform for me to do more than just play football. I can really affect a lot of people's lives by how I play the game and how I represent myself, my family, my people really. So that's always been important to me, man, to really just be of high character and do things the right way. So when kids watch me or anybody really, it's like, man, Fred, he just does things the right way. I want to be more like that. And that's truly what I'm trying to do. What I'm trying to do. Fred, when you look back at everything from where your mother brought you up to almost been overlooked, to be why you, to being the best at position you're playing, to two tough super bowl losses, a tougher injury, a marriage, fatherhood, to now. What would you consider the biggest pivot? Man, you know, I always be in my car. I'm listening to y'all boys on the pivot.

43:09And I hear that last little line, man, what's your biggest pivot in life? And I'm sitting there like, man, what would I say? And it's like, you know, Aziz, when y'all interview Aziz at the other day, I was listening to him and, you know, he made a good point, right? There's different phases of your life where like, there's a lot of pivots. That may have altered, you know, where you're at currently. But adulthood in the NFL, I say my biggest pivot, man, was probably my fourth year. I came in now. I was coming off of my first all pro, my first pro bowl, a new deal with the team. A lot of expectation on my head. And, you know, just, I wasn't quite right with my bodies. My knees, my knee was kind of bothering me a little bit. And I went into that camp. I wasn't performing like I was supposed to. And I had cats telling me like, hey, for as you good, like you feel like the contract, you feel like everything's kind of, it's a little too much on you right now. And I was thinking like, no, like I didn't think that was that was a thing. And then all of a sudden, they planted that in my mind. I'm like, man, am I doing too much? Am I playing right?

44:10And I remember I went into that season and I was thrown off the whole year. The whole year I'm thrown off. I'm not playing right. I'm getting chewed out in the mean. I'm not, you know, I just wasn't myself. And I started letting like that outside noise kind of festering my brain a lot. And it took me seeking out help from a sports like that I followed on Twitter at the time. Jim Rennfro, he, I still haven't even met him to this day. I was over the phone. I called him up. I, first of all, I DMed him. I'm DM's boy. I, I DMed, buddy. I'm like, man, I need help. This is like, late in the year. I mean, I need some help. I'm just like, I'm in my head right now. I got, I got to get out of my head to like get back to, to plan like I want to. And, uh, you know, he, he got me on the phone, man. And we talked through things. And he told me, man, like, man, look, you're, you're the lion at the end of the day. Sometimes the lion, they don't get the kill. But that doesn't mean that they're not a lion. Right now, you're not getting the kill because, you know, of all these different factors, if you're not playing this, that in the third,

45:11but guess what? You're still the lion. You're still a friend at the end of the day. You're still the guy that went and made that all pro. You're still the guy that went and got that pro bowl. And the guy that earned that contract. So just go out there, man, and just be, be the lion. Just enjoy the hunt. Don't worry about the kill. Don't worry about trying to get forced fun, but trying to get interception. How many tacos you want in the game? Just go out there and hunt and boy, that, that saved me. That saved my entire career because that from that moment on, I never worried about going out there and chasing stats or what the outcome was going to be. My whole goal was just, just go hunt. And so I remember going into that playoff in 2021 and I went and I pushed the ball out on the road against Green Bay. They were the one seed completely flipped that game. We went on the road. You know, my whole career just went and took off from there. But if it wasn't for that moment with him and kind of going through that low in my career, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. So that's an amazing story. It's really dope, man. Listen, we've been trying to do this for a long time. So I really appreciate you taking the time during camp.

46:14Like I think that says a lot about your character, but also how you appreciate us. So we're very, very thankful. I'm a fan dog. I listen. No, we're very, very thankful. But all the things you accomplish, all I have to have this conversation is like, man, what's some of the biggest separation between who I believe is the best at something and who is number two? And I think in our game, it's Fred Warner in the next best linebacker and no disrespect to them. So I'm extremely excited, but just to get to cut the TV on again, man, and watch a person who I believe is setting the standard at doing something, do what he loves that brings us all so much joy, man. So best of luck this season, man. Can't wait to see it. Hey, man, I appreciate your boys. Thanks for having me. No, no. Sorry. Excellent, man. Absolutely, man. You got it. No, what was your position call to BYU? This ain't like flash or something? Yeah, they call it the flash, dog. Yeah, it was crazy. So you basically, it was like a nickel, like a rover almost. Yeah, it was definitely an orthodox, I'd say the least. I could have had you be like a 5, 10 slot.

47:16You got me, my hoodie, why you playing? Six, three, my mustache was like this. I'm out there on two like this. And the Hiko was always, oh yeah, exactly. Mustaels like a DB Stass. I'm like, bro, looking back, I don't know. Yeah, crazy. But now we appreciate you, bro. Oh, yeah, bro. I'm a good boy, girl, sir. I got one of each. One of each. I got a two-year boy and then a seven-month-old. Congrats, bro. For sure. It's a dream. But that's crazy though. You've been sitting there watching the game in the hospital room, having that conversation with your old lady. No, it wasn't, bro. It was because I'm like, dang, like I really wouldn't be able to make the birth. Like I was supposed to be playing in the game. Yeah. And then I was like, but I never had to make that decision. Yeah, yeah. I'm saying that. That would be crazy. She didn't know. But the thing is though, your spouse, they understand. Yes. 1000%. If you don't have one that understands this, you actually can't be good at it. For sure. 1000%. She let me just be me over here. Yeah. There's an expectation. I come through them doors. I'm daddy. Yeah, I'm a husband. Right. But she's like, you go do what you got to do. Be that person.

48:16You be a, I don't know that man. I don't know who that is out there. Don't bring him home. Don't bring him here. He's out there in a different place, then. Yeah. Why that? He's out there. He's out there. He's out there. No, come here. Come here, please. All right, that's just, listen. People talk about like, OK, how did you become who? Because like, I had to find that, you know what I'm saying? And that's really what you see.