KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl Returner

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There's a lot to listen to, so get started and download the free Odyssey app today. All righty, this is Zach Yelp's show on CBS Sports Radio. It's Me Brands does present Pro Bowl Weekend with a Celebrity Basketball Classic coming up on February 4th, 2023. The doors open at 3 p.m. You can get your tickets at itsmebrands.com.

Tickets do start at $30. And now joining us is a Pro Bowler who will be participating in this event, and that is from the Dallas Cowboys. And joining us right now is going to be Kavante Turpin. Kavante, appreciate the time. Congratulations on the season. How you been? I'm doing good, man. I want to thank y'all for having me, man.

Well, I appreciate you coming on. So, you go from playing in the USFL and being an MVP to then getting in the NFL and in your first year playing with the Cowboys. You're a Pro Bowler. Can you just explain what this last year was like for you and how you just went through the emotions of this season, getting a lot of praise to your name? I can say, man, it's been a wonderful journey, man.

I can say the journey still continues, man. It just, you know, coming from the USFL, you know, coming from there, you know, it's just been a wonderful lifestyle just coming to being a part of the NFL. It's just been wonderful, man, just coming, you know, being an MVP of the USFL, you know, coming to the NFL and seeing how different the league is from all other leagues.

It's just been a wonderful experience for me in my first year. You know, it's great for me to make it to the Pro Bowl and all, but it's just been a wonderful journey, man, a wonderful journey. If I would have told you before the year that you would have made the Pro Bowl, what would you have told me? I probably would have left. I probably would have left.

I probably would have joked around because I probably wouldn't have done it either. I ain't had no goals coming through this year. I was really just trying to make myself certified as an NFL player. I ain't had no goals of even making the Pro Bowl, but none of that, so I probably would have left, to be honest. Where do you think you could go from here?

Because you said the journey's not done yet. Like, when we're talking, let's say, in five years, what type of player do you think you could turn into? In five years, I'm trying to be five times Pro Bowler. In five years, I'm trying to, every year I'm in the NFL, that's basically like my goal now since I made it, so my goal is to, however, how many years I was in the league, I'm trying to be Pro Bowler, be something, you know, accomplish something, basically.

How do you think you could continue to further develop your game? Like, what type of player, I know you said a Pro Bowler, but what type of player do you think that you'll continue to turn into and develop into and what do you want to improve on? I'm trying to turn into one of the best in the league. That's my goal. I'm trying to be the best returner. Whatever the Cowboys need me to do, even in our offense, if they do put me in, I'm just trying to be the best I can be for the team and make sure that we can win games. That's just the best thing that I feel like.

I need a Super Bowl ring too. Kevonta Turpin here with us. Yeah, it seems like you could be a threat out of the backfield and also as a wide receiver as well. Yeah, that's what we really know this coming season. We're trying to get more points on the offense. Kevonta Turpin here with us.

Pro Bowler from the Dallas Cowboys. So, your season just came to a close on Sunday. How do you reflect back on the season that the Dallas Cowboys had? I'll say we had a great season. The Cowboys had the last two years, most of them win the season that they had in the regular season. So, I feel like we had a good year and I just feel like we just had some up and downs that we had to come up with that we just got to do this offseason.

Bring some new pieces in. But I feel like this offseason is going to be really great for the Cowboys. We just need some more leadership and stuff like that. I just feel like we'll be great. We had a great year. We just got to get over that hump.

We just got to get to the championship games. How do you view Dak Prescott as a leader? Oh, Dak. He's a great leader. He's the most vocal guy I've ever been around. He tries to keep everybody up. Dak is a great leader. I've got way more respect for Dak.

Just the kind of person he is. When did it hit you with the season that you were having individually? Like, okay, I'm starting to have some success because I know you didn't think this was possible before the year started. I'll say week four, week five, that's when I really started to realize that I'm basically a big part of the Cowboys team this year. Basically, with the field position and stuff like that, I just feel like I had a big part. It really hit me like week five, week six, around that time when I was really like, okay, I got to play my role because I knew I wasn't going to get no playing time on offense, so I knew I had to lock in on the special teams and all that. What did you think of Mike McCarthy being in the same building as him throughout this year and what he brought to the Cowboys this year as a head coach? Mike McCarthy, my little Mike, he was a father.

A lot of people didn't believe in me. Mike gave me the opportunity. They gave me the opportunity to come play for the Cowboys.

I just want to thank them for giving me that chance to prove myself to them. I feel like with Mike McCarthy in the building, he's a great sports guy. He always keeps everybody energized. Whenever you're around, you always have a smile on his face.

He'll try to do something to make you smile at any type of person he is. Kevontae Turpin here with us. What happened? How do you explain what you guys were trying to do on that final play on Sunday? Man, to be honest, it was a rugby play. It's called rugby.

So basically, me or C.D. Lamb, we get the ball first, then we just throw it laddering up. By the time back through it, the deal was already closing on me, so I didn't really have a chance to even ladder it.

That's basically what it was. It's basically like a hook and ladder play, basically. How often do you guys practice that, just wondering? We practice probably twice a week, twice a week, before we head out until we have a whole game, the last practice.

That's when we'll practice it and stuff like that. When you first saw it, and when they first tried to practice it, and clearly you're involved in the play, when I'm watching on my couch, Kevontae Turpin, I'm saying, what the heck is Zeke doing lining up as center? Did you have the same reaction when you see Zeke snapping the ball? Basically, when they put the play in, it was just like, to me, I was like, what is Zeke doing? But then we kind of found out he wasn't eligible to do a block until we started laddering the play. So basically, there were plenty of people on the field that they can do something with the ball, basically.

That's basically what it was. When they put the play in, the first time we ran it, we really scored on our defense. It seemed like it was a good play when we did it. That's why I feel like they kept it in and it was just like that.

Kevontae Turpin here with us. You started to really have a great return up against the Niners when you guys were down 16-9 and then got tackled by Robbie Gould. What would you have done differently there when you go back and watch it?

To be honest with you, man, I was up the whole night just watching that play. I just felt like I could have did way more than I did, just running to off. I would have did differently. I would have hit the outside. The way the blockers were set up, I should have just used my speed. That's the only thing I really can't say.

I should have just used my speed. How tough is it to move on from a game like that? You're human. You eventually have to get back to living your life and enjoying your offseason. But with it being that fresh, does that still really sting the performance that happened on Sunday? It still stings a little bit, but at the same time, you have to always have that neutral thinking. At the same time, it's going to hit a lot because we had a chance.

We had a good chance of winning that game. So it's going to hit me for a couple more days and I'll be back to neutral and back to my regular thinking and trying to get back right this offseason. So it's It's Me Brands Pro Bowl Weekend Celebrity Basketball Classic. You get your tickets at itsmebrands.com and the event supports the up on cancer. Just tell me a little bit about the event and the basketball game that's going down. I'm looking forward to it. Like I tell a lot of people on the Cowboys team, I'm one of the best basketball players on the Cowboys team. With the event going on, I've got to come show these boys my showcase and what I do. To be honest, basketball really was my first sport. Basically, I'm going to go out there and try to have fun with these guys.

Some of the guys I've never met before. It's going to be a lifetime experience with me because it's just my first year doing everything, basically. Once again, you can go and attend it at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

You get your tickets at itsmebrands.com. Kevonta Turpin, best of luck. Enjoyed hearing your story. Thanks so much. Yes, sir.

Appreciate you for having me. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings you the AFC and NFC Championship games streaming live for free this Sunday on the Odyssey app. The 49ers visit the Eagles. Touchdown, Jaylen Hurts. Give it to McCaffrey, off the middle and into the end zone. And then it's a rematch between the Bengals and the Chiefs. Wide open, Jamar Chase takes it in. Touchdown, Chiefs. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your playoffs, your Odyssey.

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