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Interview with Jonathan Taylor

Zach Gelb Show / Zach Gelb
The Truth Network Radio
October 16, 2024 4:05 pm

Interview with Jonathan Taylor

Zach Gelb Show / Zach Gelb

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October 16, 2024 4:05 pm

Zach Gelb is joined by Colts running back Jonathan Taylor talking about what he does on his off days, when he will return to the field, and his relationship with Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco.

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You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show.

Alrighty, rock and roll. This is Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on the Infinity Sports Network. Let's welcome in one of the best running backs in the NFL right now from the Indianapolis Colts. And that, of course, is Jonathan Taylor is here to with us today on behalf of Dairy Queen. Jonathan, appreciate the time. How you been? How are you, man? I appreciate you having me on. I'm super excited. We're coming off a win, so it's always a good day. Yeah, and I know that you were able to sauce and toss some chicken strips today with your quarterback, Anthony Richardson. Tell me what you're doing with Dairy Queen. Yeah, so today was actually a super fun day. It's our off day, but anytime I have some downtime, I always love to touch base back with the community, any place I love to call home.

I like to dive in and connect with the fans. So today I was at our local Dairy Queen with AR, and we'll be able to connect with a bunch of fans and promote Dairy Queen's new sauce and toss chicken strips, their parmesan garlic and their honey barbecue. So it was a fun day. I mean, it was a packed house.

We had, you know, kids from young to old, you know, college kids, adults. Everyone was in there in the packed house for us to promote their new chicken strips. So it was amazing. The sauce and toss strips. I personally I couldn't decide if I like the parmesan garlic or if I like the honey barbecue because I was the one sauce in the strips today. But I might have to go with the honey barbecue.

It's a classic and it was also a fan favorite today. Are you a rancher or blue cheese guy? Bigger question. I'm a blue cheese guy. I'm from the Northeast. I'm a blue cheese guy for sure. That's automatic blue cheese. Yeah. Cause when I do these like pre draft interviews, that's a big character question of mine. And if people say ranch, I lose my mind.

But you're right. Us East coast guys, we go blue cheese. When you get down South, it's usually more ranch. Yeah. The blue cheese, but the blue cheese, I feel like just makes it and puts it all together. Like you have to go blue cheese. Yeah. No, you're definitely speaking my love language right now when it comes to wings and chicken strips as well. Jonathan Taylor here with us.

So I have to ask you a question. I know you got fed today. I know you were having fun with the fans, but how is that ankle feeling right now? The ankle is definitely feeling better. I'm progressing throughout the weeks.

No ankle is nothing new to me. I've definitely had my fair share of experiences with that, but I'm excited to continue to attack the week so I can get back on the field and make plays on my team. So I'm excited. They were able to fight and claw and then get a tough division road run road win. But we're coming back home. It's always a great opportunity to follow up a road win coming back home to celebrate and it's going to be another tough contest, but I think we're up for it.

Yeah. You go up against the dolphins. Do you expect to be on the field? Do you think you're playing this week? Hopefully.

That's why I'm continuing to attack it. I still have to go Wednesday, do some more tests with the trainers and hopefully I'm able to at least get back on the field because at the end of the day, you want to be out there with your brothers. You want to be out there with the guys you've been putting work in.

I always love seeing them go out there and make plays, but it's always that much better when I'm right here with them. Yeah. It's one thing if your body physically can't go, but I think what a lot of people forget about is their mental side of this as well. We all know how great of a player you can be, but sometimes you can't get on the field that can mess with you mentally. You seem like a very positive person, but how do these last few years kind of play out for you and how do you kind of like clear your mind during some of these tough times with just the bad blow that you've been dealt with with the health problems?

Yeah, definitely. Especially last year, just coming back from that ankle and not really being back on my schedule. I know athletes are very regimented. So when you go through a rehab throughout the off season and time comes and your body hasn't fully healed, that's when athletes are that's when they can tend to be really tough because we're so regimented.

We expect this timeline and when that's not the case. So being able to lean on my teammates, knowing that they had my back and then now this year. Thankfully, it's nothing major, so just something that we have to get healthy to get back on the field. But thankfully it was nothing major this year. We're able to have a lot of football left in the season. Yeah, and it's an unfortunate part of the game. You've dealt with the injuries.

I know your quarterback, Anthony Richardson, has dealt with them as well, currently being out but expected to return coming up against the Dolphins. Just you going through this now as a friend. What advice can you kind of offer to Anthony who's going through this the last two years? Number one, just tell them to attack every day. Sometimes the goal can seem very far away. But if you attack each and every single day, you never know the changes and the leaps and bounds you can make within three, four days. If you just go in there with a positive mindset each and every single day and whatever rehab rep or strengthening exercise you're doing, just attack it. Because like I said, you never know. It could be day four and there could be a tremendous jump in how you're feeling.

So every single day attacking it headfirst. If Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor can stay healthy, what could he be as a quarterback in this league? Well, I think that even regardless of myself, I think Anthony has all the tools to go out there and be an elite quarterback. I think you guys have seen just some of the plays and things he's able to do on the field that no one else can do.

So I just know that not only for myself, I just want to be there to help him ease that burden for him because I know being a quarterback is a tough job. So anything I can do to alleviate the passing game and to let him go out there and be electrifying, I'm all for it. You guys have a fun offense if everyone can get on the field with you, Jonathan Taylor, we see what Alex Pierce has been able to do. And then Michael Pittman Jr. Man, that catch is really something last weekend. Michael Pittman Jr. is he's a playmaker for us. He's a super clutch playmaker for us. And that's why he's a captain. He's a leader on our team. He's tough as nails. And I just think that's someone you need to have any team you want to have on your team.

Everyone should want to have a Michael Pittman Jr. on their team. Jonathan Taylor here with us on behalf of Derek Queen for a few more moments. I know you've been in and out of the lineup. The team got off to a slow start, starting off the season 0 and 2. But since then, they've won three out of the last four to pull to three and three. What have you noticed, whether you've been on the field or not, that has changed with this ballclub? One, I've just noticed the mentality of the young guys, whether they're coming onto the field or coming off of the field, you can see it in their eyes. They're ready to go out there, step up and make plays. And that's what those elite teams do.

It's about the depth. It's about the guys that are coming in on the field. Can they make plays?

Can there be no drop off? Because we all know it's going to take everybody on the team in order to get to where we want to go, which is to be a championship team. And how about the Ageless Wonder at the quarterback position, Joe Flacco? He's really been something going back to last year and what he's carrying over in this limited opportunity this season. There's not much that a defense can throw at Joe. I mean, he's a true professional.

He's a true vet. And seeing how calm and poised he is in the huddle, when he breaks the huddle, when things break down in the pocket, he's able to stay calm, cool, collected, deliver the ball and able to take us up and down the field. So it's special to be in the backfield with Joe. I know Anthony is considered to be the future, but sometimes if something isn't broken, you don't try to fix it with what Joe's been able to do. I know Shane Steichen said, hey, as long as Anthony's healthy, he's going to be starting this weekend. Do you think that's the right decision to go back to Anthony? Oh, definitely. Especially if Anthony is healthy.

I know that he's been dealing with an injury. So being able to protect him and make sure, you know, he's a true competitor and even myself, there's been times that the coaches have done it with myself. You know, you want to go out there.

But as you go through the test throughout the week and you're not fully healthy, not fully ready to go out there, it's their job to be able to sometimes protect yourself from yourself, because us being competitors, we want to be out there. Whether we have limbs falling off, but we love the game so much. So just being able to get Anthony fully healthy because we know how electrifying he can be because when he's on the field, he's pretty hard to stop. Well, we know if you get back in the lineup this weekend, we know what you're capable of.

But for you, with some of the time that you've missed just individually, I know you're such a team guy, but separate the team component for a bit. What do you want to individually prove to the football world when you're full go, ready to go and rock and roll for the rest of the way? Number one, I just want to prove to the world that, you know, when I'm in the game, I'm able to help my team win games. I'm able to be an impact player. Just something that I've always prided myself on was being able to be reliable and knowing that, hey, if there's something that needs to be had, whether it's a fourth in one, whether it's a third down conversion, whatever it is, you can count on me to do my fair share in order to make sure that we go ahead and get it, because that's what it takes. It's going to take tenacity.

It's going to take hard work and strong willpower in order to be a championship team and to be a championship kind of player. I know you have your eye on so many different things in the NFL and college football. So the last thing I'll ask you, Jonathan Taylor, have you seen Ashton Gente at Boise State play? Because through six games, he has one thousand two hundred and forty eight rushing yards and only one hundred and twenty six carries. And he's 18 total touchdowns. He looks like he's going to be a big player coming up on Sunday soon. Yeah, I definitely started hearing his name and then saw the stat line and the yards are amazing. But another thing I'm looking at is so early in the season, you said 18 touchdowns for me, anytime you can be a dynamic playmaker and put points on the board.

I mean, what if they played like six games, five games so far? I mean, you you already have 18 touchdowns. That's literally insane. You are a true difference maker for your team.

So, one, I'm super happy to see it. I'm happy to see the running back play get to such a high level because that's literally insane. So I'm excited for him.

I hope he continues to push through, because with those kind of stats, I mean, you're looking at nothing else other than the Heisman. And also, hey, you got a sauce and toss, right? With a little Dairy Queen chicken strips, right?

That's what you advise him to do. Listen, you got a sauce and toss. If you guys if you look and check out an interview at a live event, I show you the technique with the left hip on how to properly sauce and toss.

I know A.R. did the tossing, but I was really a big portion of the sauce part. So I like to call myself a professional saucer now. So were you better at tossing than Anthony Richardson?

Were you better than tossing the quarterback? That's it. That's his specialty. All they did was they told me, listen, Jonathan, you're going to be the saucer. We'll leave all the toss into A.R.

That's his specialty. Well, I always appreciate when you jump on board. Thanks for doing this and good help. Hopefully we see you coming up this weekend. Thank you so much, man. I appreciate you.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-10-16 18:12:19 / 2024-10-16 18:17:42 / 5

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