Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Lineman

Alrighty, rocking and rolling. This is Zach Gelb's show on the Infinity Sports Network. The Rams started off the season 1 and 4, but now they've won 3 in a row after a big overtime victory this past Sunday up against the Seattle Seahawks. So they're 4 and 4 on the season.

They'll be in primetime on Monday night up against the Miami Dolphins. And a man that had a big game on Sunday is a friend to the show. He joined us in studio before he was finding out what NFL team he was going to get drafted by at a Florida State. And that's Braden Fisk, who by the way, had not only won, but two sacks in the contest up against the Seahawks, and he's kind enough to join us right now. Braden, appreciate the time. How you been, my man? I'm doing a lot better now. Appreciate you having me back on the show. We had a good conversation back there.

I believe it was March. Like you said, I had no idea where I was going. I'm sitting in Los Angeles, California, playing for the Rams.

It's been a pretty good event so far. And it was so cool because when you got drafted, you knew that you were going to be teammates with someone that you know very well from your time at Florida State at with Jared verse. Just kind of take me back to that moment when, hey, it's like, OK, I'm going to the Rams and I know I'm going to start my NFL career with one of my football brothers in Jared verse. Right.

Yeah. I mean, so much has happened, you know, all at one time on draft day. And, you know, I get that call and I see the Los Angeles number and I had taken a 30 visit to the Chargers earlier. So I'm thinking, oh, I'm going to the Chargers.

And he says, oh, this is less than me with the Rams. And then everything just starts slowly clicking on the old crowd. Going to L.A., oh, Jared just went to L.A. Like, yeah, I mean, everything just started kind of, you know, happened real quick. But I think, you know, once the realization set in, like, yeah, I'm playing verse again. I mean, it was cool because, you know, I think going into a new situation, I mean, a whole new locker room, you know, having some familiarity with somebody is just helpful. I mean, walking the building, you know, you have somebody to go to, you know, if things get tough or whatever. But, you know, I think it's also been good from a competition standpoint of even to this point in the season of like, hey, we're constantly like, hey, I'm not going to make it easy on you for this race for whatever we're trying to get to. And, you know, just every day in the building, we're constantly, you know, going at each other for certain things.

But no, it's been awesome so far. And I'm just grateful to have him out there on the field with me. And like I said, the competition aspect of it has kind of been the biggest part of just, you know, I see him doing something that makes me work a little bit harder and vice versa. And I think that's probably the most beneficial part of our career is even dating back to Florida State.

You know, that's kind of how I think we both got into this position in the first place is just competing back at Florida State and, you know, kind of recognizing what we had. But also, you know, I'm not going to let him out work for me too, you know. So you're not ready to just say, hey, Jared, if the Rookie of the Year is given out, it's definitely going to be you. You're still trying to make a case to maybe take some votes away from him is what you're saying. I mean, it's still down the road.

We got a lot to accomplish. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't in the back of my head sometimes when I see him get a sack or two, you know. Well, I did pick him before the year start to win the defensive Rookie of the Year.

So I hope Braden Fisk isn't mad at me for that. But either way, both of you have really made a quick transition to the NFL. What is it about your time together? What you see from one another? Why you both could get to the NFL and not only be asked to play, but, you know, really contribute to get in this Rams team to where they need to be? Yeah, you know, I think early on, even in OTAs and training camp, you kind of get that glimpse of, okay, this is what it could look like.

I mean, you're going against NFL players, so you finally get that first initial of, okay, this is where I stand, you know, physically, mentally, you know, my football knowledge. And I think, you know, both of us, there's been some rough patches. It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows on this side. I mean, there were some learning curves, and especially early on in the season, I think, you know, teams were able to attack some of the weaknesses that, you know, we both had. And I think that was just like a learning curve for us to say, okay, like, this is where we got to get better at.

This is where teams are attacking us. And like, it's a lot of self-realization and a lot of, you know, just kind of figuring out, this is where we have to get better if we want to succeed. And I think after that bye week is kind of where, at least for me personally, I started to turn around of, you know, just getting more comfortable out there, getting a better feel for the, you know, just the flow of the game.

Because, you know, week-to-week things change as far as like game plan and scheme. So, you know, just settling in to, you know, figuring out, you know, what offenses are really trying to do to us on the field. And, you know, we're on a good wave right now, and I feel good about, you know, the preparation and, you know, kind of what we both put into it as far as, you know, just, you know, what we see out there.

You know, that's kind of like the money making down, you know, let's get after the quarterback. We got a good package out there. I mean, not just me and Jared, I mean, Kobe Turner's out there with us, Byron Young, you know, Michael Boy, and we got other guys that rotate in that have been awesome. So, you know, it's a group effort, but there was definitely a learning curve, you know.

It wasn't great just from the start, so we definitely had to, you know, hit some rough passes and, you know, get to where we are now. Yeah, and for so many years, right, Aaron Donald was the standard in this league and the standard in that organization. Not one person's going to be able to replace Aaron Donald. You need all 11 guys to do that. Is that kind of a challenge that was presented your way that, like, you're like, okay, we feel the pressure. We know we all got to do our one eleventh in order to try to replace that production and that presence of one Aaron Donald.

Yeah, you know, I think it's obvious that, right, 99 is not in the building and, you know, everyone knows, everyone understands that. But at the same time, you know, we're coming into league. We're also trying to make our mark as well. You know, you never want to discredit what, you know, possibly the greatest ever.

In my eyes, I think he's probably the greatest ever play the game has done. But at the same time, you know, I want to be able to step in. I know Jerry wants to be able to step in. You know, Kobe and B.Y. are still trying to make their mark in the NFL as well.

So I think when you got four guys that are hungry and then you add everybody else in, you know, the guys that are hungry and trying to make their mark. I mean, I think our rush and, you know, just our, you know, run defense and everything has just gotten better. And, you know, you can never forget what, you know, Aaron Donald did. But, you know, we also want to step in there and be able to say, hey, like, we can still be a really great defense, you know, a really great pass for us.

You know, the dip doesn't have to be what everyone thinks it's going to be. And you guys put on a heck of a performance, right? Even when Geno was driving the ball at times, you guys were able to pick him off a few times late. And then in overtime, you know, if they get the ball and go right down the field, the game's over if they score a touchdown. That fourth and one stop was massive. Just how about what that does for a defense's confidence? Yeah, man.

A hundred percent. Even the down before, I mean, it's third and one, we get them to fourth and one. And then, you know, it's a matter of are they going to bring the field goal team out? Are they going to bring the offense out? And sure enough, that offense trots out.

They're trying to get to the big personnel. And you kind of look around and, you know, from the outside looking in, you know, we're a young defense. But I think we're all out on the field like, yeah, come on, like, bring that offense out here.

You know, give us another chance. And I think that's kind of been the big, you know, the big emphasis on our defense is make them snap it again. You know, make them snap that ball one more time and then anything can happen. And sure enough, you know, you know, they tried us out there and, yeah, the defense stepped up. We got the offensive ball back and, you know, give mass staff the ball with, you know, with an opportunity to score. You know, I like our chances there. So, I think that's just our big thing of our defense. You know, we're a young defense.

We get along well. You know, we're energized. You know, we all, you know, we're just out there flying around.

I think that's the most fun part about it. So, yeah, fourth and one, we got it done. I mean, that was huge, especially going forward for confidence with this defense.

I mean, you feel kind of unstoppable at times. But, you know, it's been a learning curve. So, I'm just glad to see where we've made it to this point. Were you surprised that they elected to go for it there and that they just didn't kick the field goal, Seattle? I wasn't really mad at surprise. I think it was just like, you know, what are they going to do? Like, whichever they do, you know, we'll adapt, we'll overcome it.

And I think, I don't think anyone wants to put Matt Stafford back out on the field, you know, with an opportunity to win the game. So, I think, you know, they probably made the right decision to try to, you know, put the game in their hands and win the game. But, like I said, you know, good teams, you know, attack adversity. And I think, you know, like you said, they drove down the field and they put us in a pretty scary situation of where we had to get a stop. And, you know, we overcame it.

So, I'm just really proud of our guys for, you know, being on the field for that. Last week was the week of just ridiculous catches. When you see the game-winning touchdown, how did you kind of process that one, Braden Fisk?

Oh, man. It was just awful. I mean, just mayhem on the field. People running around, you know, yelling at fans because Seattle is a tough place to play.

Their fans are pretty ruthless out there. And, you know, we're just, you know, jawing at the fans. Everyone's running around.

It's just chaos. But the whole time, I mean, we knew when the offense ran out on that field and, you know, they made that catch to get a first down. You know, getting closer to 50 is like, yeah, we got it. It's our game now. You can just feel the momentum.

You can feel the crowd get quiet. That's when I was like, yeah, we got this in the bag. It felt good. And, yeah, you know, the catches added to the whole chaos of the entire game. I mean, so much happened. You know, we think we got it sealed. They blocked a punt. And it's just like, it was insane just how everything unfolded.

It was very finished. And that was a real tough win for you guys. And I think it shows what this team is capable of. And I know you guys have had to go through a lot of injuries this year.

But even with Puca coming back, he gets ejected, which I didn't love the call. But it doesn't seem like anything really breaks this team. Because there could have been moments this year, Braden, where this team, you know, could have already been broken and, you know, have such an even bigger hole to kind of dig themselves out of.

Yeah, most definitely. And I think, you know, with the mix of, you know, young talent and also the veterans that we have in the locker room that have done this before, I think, you know, the biggest driving force to the team is, you know, fighting for adversity. I mean, like you said earlier in the show, we start out one and four. You know, we hit the bye week. And I say, all right, you know, where do we stand? And, you know, we had to make a decision when we came back of who we were going to be going forward.

And, you know, I think just between the, you know, the vet leadership that we have on our team, you know, with the Matthew Staffords, even like Huey Turner, he's a great leader on our team. And, you know, Rob Heavis, the guys that have been in this league and have done this before, I mean, just being around those guys and seeing, you know, hey, when we get back from this bye, we're going to turn this to, we're going to take this to a whole other level. And, you know, we're on a three game.

It was one game at a time. We're on, you know, the third of, you know, the games of, you know, we've been back off the bye and we're 3-0 off the bye. So, you know, it's just kind of building off that, you know, how do we stack that?

How do we continue to grow? And, you know, I think each week is, you know, it's a new week to attack, you know, another team. And that's one thing I've learned, you know, being in this league so far is when every week counts, every play counts, like, you know, they got really good players on their side of the ball too.

They get paid money too. So, I mean, every week's a toss up, but, you know, whoever, you know, comes out there ready to fight and just has that mentality, I think, you know, we got a good chance. Yeah, and a few weeks ago, right, there was a lot of speculation about Cooper Cup getting traded. You know, even there was one wild report out there about Matthew Stafford getting traded.

Like, everyone gave up on you guys. You know, in the locker room, I know you guys try to ignore the noise, but you guys are human. You hear it, like, you know, Cooper had to respond about it.

I talked to Puka Naku about it on the show. Did people doubting you guys kind of maybe pull a little something extra out of this team to get you guys back to 4-4? Yeah, I mean, I think a little bit of that, you know, always plays a part. I mean, like you said, you always try to, you know, in your meetings, your teammates, and say, hey, like, you know, you got to block out the outside noise. You can't listen to what's out there because it's always, people are always going to be feeding, you know, the fire, feeling the fire of, oh, the Rams are done.

You know, they're going to completely evacuate and trade. But, you know, I think internally we were saying, hey, like, you know, we're still a really good football team. Like, we know what good football is and, you know, we got the right guys to do it. And, you know, I think from our young player standpoint, we're all starting to, you know, get a little grasp of the NFL and starting to try to make our mark and just growing and learning and getting better. So, you add that to what we already have. I mean, I think we saw it as an opportunity, you know, to really attack this thing and, you know, coming off the bike, getting fresh, getting healthy, like you said.

Well, yeah, like, just start with one. Let's win this game. We'll move on. We'll just keep growing from there. So, I'm excited going forward. I mean, I got a lot of faith in this team and a lot of faith in the guys I go to work with. So, I'm excited. Dan, I've been around the league long enough.

I know how this works. One week, right? And the team's going to be trading everybody in Cooper Cup and Matthew Stafford.

And then a few weeks later, just wait. At one point, there will be whispers. You know, will they be able to get Aaron Donald back? Will Aaron Donald come out of retirement? Is there been any chatter there in the locker room about that possibility?

Definitely not internally. We don't really talk about it in the building, but, you know, outside the building, that's all I see. And, you know, we have a great game, you know, this past week in Seattle, a great pass for us. And the story is all, you know, they don't need AD, you know.

One week, if we don't have a good pass, they're missing the greatest ball time. It goes back and forth. And you hear both sides of it.

But, no, I haven't talked about it much. You know, we like the young core that we're working with. Like I said earlier, we're trying to make our mark as well.

So, you know, however it shakes out, you know, we're going to just keep going to work. Yeah, he's not a spotlight guy, Donald. That's why a lot of people, like, love him. Like, he's unbelievable, but, like, he didn't want to be, like, in the spotlight ever. There was one video I saw of him, you know, on the couch sleeping that I guess his wife or girlfriend took of him to make it known.

Like, hey, he's definitely not coming back. Have you been able to, like, just because of the nature of the Rams and you being on that defensive line, is there any relationship that you have with him, just wondering? Yeah, I mean, I got to meet him when we had the, what was it, the practice.

What was the call? In August when we practiced against the Cowboys, he came out to one of our joint practices, yeah. And, yeah, I got to meet him there. I mean, super good dude. I mean, he didn't show any signs of wanting to be back out there.

Seemed like he was enjoying his time off. But, you know, I can't speak for the guy. But, yeah, I mean, super good dude. He's given me a little pointer. He's got to have, you know, just some casual conversation with him. And, yeah, I mean, awesome guy. I mean, I had a whole lot of respect for him, you know, looking from afar. And even when I was in, you know, high school and middle school, just like, yeah, like, just somebody you look up to, just, you know, the way you played the game.

So, yeah, I mean, that was kind of a, that was a cool moment to be able to meet him. So, now you guys, Braden Fisk will turn the page. You know, you're 4-4.

You get above.500. You got Miami coming up on Monday, big primetime game. You know, I know they don't have a good record. But, man, they have some serious pieces with Tua and Jalen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. You know, got Raheem Mostert and Devon Aichan as well. We'll see, you know, who's going to play with some of the health concerns. But what do you kind of focus in on?

I know you can't tell me the game plan. But, man, there's a lot of talented pieces on that Dolphins offense. Yeah. I mean, that's, like you say, you talk about all the weapons that they got over there. I mean, that's a big focus. I mean, you can't just focus, hone in on one guy like you can some other places. But, I mean, they got guys all over the field.

So, it's a joint effort. I mean, we got to get, we got to get hats to the ball. I think that's like the one focus that we're trying to improve on every week is when you got those fast guys that can make guys miss in the open field. I mean, we got to get, you know, the big guys running out of the stack. We got to get, you know, everybody to the ball, hats to the ball.

More assisted tackles and solo tackles is kind of the goal. And, you know, yeah, I mean, that's a really good team they got over there. I know Tua's back out there. So, we're just excited to get after it. I mean, I think we're starting to catch some, you know, some good fire in our defense. And, you know, we're going to get into a good groove. So, we got to keep that going. You know, really excited to get after it.

Again, Monday night, it's going to be awesome. I know you had two sacks last Sunday. Do you think that was your best game as a pro so far through this, you know, first eight-game stretch of your professional career?

Was there another game that you maybe thought you were better in? I think that was probably the best, you know, on the stat sheet. I think I've just gotten more and more consistent, you know, as the weeks have gone on. I think really since maybe the Chicago Green Bay, you know, games when, you know, things really started to click, and I'm just getting more comfortable out there. But, yeah, I mean, I think on paper probably looks the best. But, you know, I'm just, I'm proud of what, you know, I've been able to accomplish so far.

But, you know, I'm nowhere near where I want to be. So, I'm just, you know, it's a good little start. But, you know, I want to really, really start to, you know, hone this thing in and really, you know, attack the run game better and get better in the past game and really start putting this all together. Last thing I'll ask you, Braden Fisk, on the way out Rams 4 and 4, they got the Dolphins coming up on Monday. You know, Stafford for so many years just didn't get his credit. And eventually, right, gets traded from the Lions, goes to the Rams, they win a Super Bowl.

You've only been his teammate for a few months now. But, man, he's really starting to get his due nationally. Just what impresses you so much being in that locker room with Stafford? I mean, it's the real deal. You know, I think it's cool to hear from other guys that have been in the NFL, been around other organizations, other quarterbacks, and they come here and say, oh, yeah, like, this guy's legit.

Like, you just don't see it. The throws he makes in practice, you know, just the person that he is off the field. I mean, super good dude.

It's kind of hard to believe that, you know, he was in college in 2007, hey, in that range. But it's really cool being around him. And, you know, just the way he's able to, you know, take control of the locker room, take control of the team. And like I said in those big moments, like, when he has that ball, you know, there's really no worries. You're on the sideline like, yeah, Matthew's got it.

We're going to be all right. So, you know, I'm just blessed to be in a position that I'm into, you know, be in a locker room with somebody like that. I mean, in my eyes, he's a legend, you know. To him, you know, he's still playing football. And I grew up watching Matthew Stafford. And, you know, it's kind of cool, you know, being in that locker room and just to see it firsthand. And, you know, some of the throws in practice, you're like, oh, my, how is this possible? I mean, even like in the Seahawks game, some of those throws late in the game, like, that's top stuff. That's like the best of the best right there. So, I mean, that just doesn't get old. And it's cool to see that, you know, it's still, you know, he's still doing it at his age and that we're just making it happen, getting wins with it. Well, good health the rest of the way. Keep on kicking ass. We're really happy for your early success. And thanks so much for doing this once again. Appreciate you saying, thanks for having me on.