(funky music)
- Well, you guys are kind of, to me the,
you're the Kings of LA right now.
I mean, to me, Kawhi
just joined that company
but where do the Rams rank?
Is it like second fiddle to the Lakers
because it is a Lakers town.
It's not a football town, per se, yet,
but it's getting there.
- I think it's a football town.
- You think it's a football town?
- Yeah, it is now.
- So you're making it
a football town again?
- It's a football town now.
- I like it.
Who's the coolest celebrity you've met?
That knew who you were
and was a fan of you?
- You know, I've met a lot
of people, a lot of greats.
I'm going to say this one person because
I grew up always loving the way he played,
the intensity, the passion
he played with the game.
I met Ray Lewis.
- Oh yeah.
- I met him, I want to say, two years ago.
We were at a Super Bowl function,
I think it was in Minnesota.
- Yeah.
- And I'm in there, he walks up to me,
says, "What's up, Aaron?"
- You're like...
- I said "What?"
- Another Aaron?
- I would never imagine that
Ray Lewis would know my name
before I even get to
introduce myself to him.
So for me, that was like, wow.
That was a surreal moment
for me, I almost like,
to me, that was crazy.
- Because I grew up watching that guy
and seeing all the passion he played with.
Even though I played D-lineman,
I wanted to play like Ray Lewis.
And come up with that passion
and the way he was just
greedy with it and hustled,
and made every single play.
For him to come up and know who I was
before I introduced
myself, I was blown away.
- That's a pretty good one.
You talked about being
underappreciated, slighted at times,
you've talked about that before.
Three stars coming to
Pitt, not that rivals
or your high school rating means anything.
You slid in the draft
relative to some other
defensive players who, they're not you.
A lot of it's height, right?
A lot, people were like, "Eh,
he's six feet or whatever."
You have challenged the...
- I'm six one.
- You're six one?
That's good.
(laughs)
six one in shoes or six one without?
- No, I'm six one.
- It really doesn't fucking matter.
(laughs)
That bank account is 10 feet tall
and you've got 20 1/2 sacks
on a single season, so.
But what is it that you
felt like people were
not seeing in you, or even
leading up to the combine?
- My stats, my height.
But that's normal.
Everybody going to have their,
they're able to have their own opinions.
Because even in college, the
NFL, you're an investment.
They're investing to you in the college.
They give you a full-time scholarship,
they're paying for that, so they want to
make sure the player they're
getting is the right one.
And sometimes they might...
- It's a good investment
though, for whatever,
I don't know what a scholarship
to Pitt goes for a year,
but, the return was like a
million dollar facility so
(laughs)
that's a good investment there.
- But, you know, it comes with it.
Everybody, they didn't think,
because I was a six one, 260
pounds, probably couldn't
hold up with the bigger guys.
The guys that are six five,
330, 320, so it's all right.
My thing is when someone, they said that,
it didn't push me and make
me feel some type of way,
it just was like, just saying,
"I guess I ain't good
enough, I got to get better,"
so I just got to show them.
- I feel like in college,
it's a little easier,
if you're a 3-star, to overcome that
than it is to be a low draft pick,
which you weren't a low draft pick,
I mean you were still a high draft pick,
but guys in the pros, they've
got a lot more to overcome.
So, now, maybe, down the road,
there's a guy who's six one, who's 280.
Who you've changed the perception
of what his career might be.
Have you thought about the fact that
you have challenged that prototype?
You've challenged the status quo,
and you're going to pave
the way for other players.
- Yeah, somebody was
talking to me about that
and that's the thing that's crazy.
You opening up doors for other guys
that's similar body types,
but I always say, if you
can play, you can play.
It don't matter what size you is,
if you go out there
and you put it on film,
there ain't much they can say.
What they're going to keep shouting,
is they're going to keep
trying to find ways,
but it's right there on film.
They seeing it.
They seeing the success.
- Well, listen, you've
played in nearly every game
of your career, going back to Pitt.
You're durable.
I think you might have sat
a game or two in the pros
because y'all were resting
people or what not,
you don't need training camp.
(Laughs)
But you've proved all these
things out that you're
talking about to be.
And another thing is,
listen, you're six one,
but your arm length is really solid.
So you have length, and you're shorter,
I think that if I'm looking at D-tackles,
I've always said this, why
the fuck do I want somebody,
not saying somebody who's
six five can't play,
but I'm saying, why do I want a guy
who can't play with leverage,
and you're going to get all
enamored with his height.
Look at his arm length.
You know what I mean?
Look at the explosion.
What would you look for?
- I always thought defensive ends
was supposed to be the
tall guys, growing up,
and I always thought the interior guys
was supposed to be the shorter guys.
I feel like the leverage is
a plus for an interior guy
going against a guy
that's six four, six five
because you got the
leverage and all ripped,
they got to try to get down to you.
So you've already got the
leverage with the pad level,
then you hand placement and everything,
all you got to do is work it on.
It's all about getting on and off the guy,
to get to the backfield.
That's the main, is to make the play.
- And so much of your game is predicated
on scaring people with that leverage.
When I watch you, you're
setting all your stuff up
with the fear of that bull.
That helmet right under the chin.
It's almost like it's
your strongest attribute.
I mean, along with a bunch of other stuff,
but you grew up watching, who?
I mean, who was your, if
you're looking for a comp,
it's harder to find when
you're a six one guy today
in this height-crazed league
where these personnel guys
are like, "You got to be six five."
Who'd you watch?
- See, I didn't just watch defense.
I watched everybody.
I watched guys like Polamolu,
I was Casey Hampton fan, who
was a tackle for the Steelers,
just because I played D-line.
Back then, when I was a little younger,
Warren Sapp, watching him play.
So it wasn't...
Ray Louis, I watched everybody on defense.
I didn't just watch defensive lineman.
I watched linebackers, I watched safeties.
I just watched everybody play.
The guys that were
making the splash plays,
like Polamolu jumping over the whole line,
jumping on the quarterback, making sacks,
that's the guys I was in tune
to and I wanted to watch.
Them guys making them
big-time splash plays.
- Who do you like watching now?
- Defensive lineman?
I like Fletcher Cox.
He's a bull man.
- [Chris] And you guys
couldn't be more different,
but you're just the two best.
- He's just so strong, the
way he just can power it,
and then he got technique.
They don't understand, he
got technique with him, too.
- [Chris] Got a lot of technique.
- And then he's strong,
unbelievable strong,
and then he got a lot of
technique, so that's crazy.
- He could play end. I mean,
it's the same thing with you,
when you used to get out
there in Greg's defense,
Greg Williams, and we'd do that odd stuff,
and you'd go out there
once a practice and rush,
us D-ends, would be like,
"fuck if I'm getting
fucked up, fuck this guy."
(both laugh)
But Fletch can do the same thing,
and he's super impressive.
(air whooshing)
Two best defensive tackles on the planet,
obviously Fletcher's coming off surgery,
getting healthy again.
Aaron is absolutely rolling in LA.
And they're two different
players, two different body types,
guys who respect each other
immensely, which is really cool.
Fletch is more the throwback.
Aaron's more the new age,
kind of guy who's breaking the mold,
giving younger guys who
are undersized hope.
You might've never seen him on
the field in the 80s or 90s.
Fletch is a guy who would fit right in
with that Philly defense
back in the early 90s,
the D-line specifically, and Jerome Brown,
Reggie White, Clyde Simmons.
He'd look just perfect trotting out
through the tunnel with the vet.
And he's probably the best D-lineman
that Philly's had since then.
I give a shout-out to Trent
Cole, because he's a legend,
but he's certainly, probably,
the best D-lineman since that group.
Probably the best defensive player
since Weapon X and Brian Dawkins.
(ding)
- Just even being compared
to a guy like Aaron,
two time defensive player of
the year, it means a lot to me.
I'm an Aaron Donald fan,
if you really ask me.
So I might go and watch his tape.
I got a lot of respect for the guy.
We always talk about ways
to get to the quarterback
and that's ways that make
us better as D-linemen.
I wish that dude the
best of luck this year
and, go get 'em.
(ding)
- You're a student of
the game, you watch...
Who's an O-lineman now that you watch
and that you play and you respect?
You don't have to like him.
- I hate giving offensive linemen credit.
- [Chris] You gotta do it here.
- I really don't know, because
I feel like I don't get
enough one-on-ones to
really be like, "this guy."
I'm always, I'm being honest,
I always get double-teams or
triples or horror slashed but
I don't really get the opportunity
to get to many one-on-ones
and really see how good a guy really is so
I feel all offensive linemen are good,
I'm going to give them credit.
- So basically, you don't want to give
an O-lineman any credit.
You took 60 seconds to tell me,
"Fuck O-linemen, I'm not
giving a single one credit,"
not even my brother!
- I didn't ever go against your brother.
- [Chris] Oh, you haven't played Kyle?
- When we played on my second year,
they had him at tackle then.
- [Chris] Oh they did?
- [Aaron] Yeah.
- So, I ain't really never
go against your brother.
- Oh, you're off the hook.
(funky music)
Thanks for checking out part three
of the AD Fish Bowl interview,
please stick around for part four,
it's very technical for
you big football heads,
we've got some technique talk,
we've got a special guest,
in a way, a pioneer of one
of AD's favorite moves.
So, stick around for part
4 if you love football
and please subscribe to our channel.
