Browns LB Anthony Walker talks on his nomination for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award and more with the media on December 6, 2023.
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00:00 What's your reaction to a couple awards you've been nominated for just over the past couple
00:07 days with the NBA?
00:09 Yeah, thankful obviously.
00:10 You know, my teammates, the organization for the nominations, the award, getting awards.
00:17 The Walter Payne Man of the Year, obviously something, just like I said, just very prestigious.
00:21 You know, you see growing up, you know, you see Super Bowls, you see NFL MVP, all that
00:25 stuff.
00:26 But the Man of the Year is something that, you know, kind of sticks with you a little
00:28 longer.
00:29 You know, you see the legacy that you want to leave in the community and stuff like that.
00:32 So very thankful for that.
00:33 The Adblock Courage Award, obviously not an award that you want to be up for.
00:37 It means you got hurt and you got to come back from injury.
00:39 But I think I'm stronger from it.
00:41 And that's a testament to my teammates, honestly.
00:44 Me being here every day with those guys last year, going through rehab, those guys really
00:48 got me through.
00:49 So I'm very thankful to those guys and for their nomination for that award as well.
00:53 To get those awards, you know, it's more than just showing up and playing the game of football,
00:58 right?
00:59 So how do you view your platform and what do you want to do for it?
01:03 Yeah, I think it's, like you said, just deeper than football.
01:06 You know, the legacy that you leave in the community, that you played in, obviously back
01:10 home where you're from.
01:11 I really try to touch those areas really hard.
01:15 My dad really, you know, big on education.
01:19 So I've always been big on youth education and, you know, how can I help my community
01:22 in that way?
01:23 You know, so back home, do a lot of, you know, school drives and going to speak with students
01:27 at different schools and stuff.
01:28 But here, in the game, the Browns have given me a great platform to do that with Stay in
01:33 the Game, the organization, and, you know, being able to, you know, just be in the classrooms
01:37 with the kids.
01:38 And like you saw the cleats, the Mike Calls Mike cleats, they were able to do.
01:40 I thought that was a cool opportunity.
01:43 So you know, obviously, I want to keep doing that.
01:46 Keep leaving my legacy in that way.
01:47 Obviously, you want to win.
01:49 You want to do good things on the field as well.
01:51 But off the field is that lasting legacy that you want to leave.
01:55 What's it mean to you, I saw the video of the celebration of the guys when you got told,
02:00 it seemed genuine, it seemed like they're really thrilled for you.
02:03 So to have those guys, you know, respect you that much.
02:06 Yeah.
02:07 Um, you know, I think the biggest respect you can have in this game is your peers and
02:11 my teammates.
02:12 Obviously love all those guys.
02:14 Greg really got me on that one.
02:16 I told him that.
02:18 But obviously, I just thankful for thankful for this opportunity for this for this team.
02:23 You know, the guys, you know, obviously, you know, sometimes they like sometimes they
02:27 don't.
02:28 But, you know, obviously, it's all love at the end of the day.
02:31 You know, and that's that's they understand that they understand, you know, that I try
02:35 to be the same guy every day that I try to be a team first guy every day and handle my
02:40 job on and off the field.
02:42 And when you have that respect of your peers, and they see you do it every day, you know,
02:47 that's what it leads to.
02:48 What's the most difficult part of coming back from a serious injury?
02:52 Is it the mental side?
02:55 Or is it the physical?
02:57 Yeah, I think for me, because I had never had a serious injury before, never missed
03:02 time never had surgery before.
03:04 I just it was the unknown mentally unknown physically, whether I would be able to get
03:09 back on what I play the same what I move the same what I just everything I was very questioning
03:14 everything every day.
03:16 And the first day running, I was like, I'll never be able to run again.
03:18 The first day riding a bike.
03:19 I was like, I'll never be able to ride a bike again, you know, because I just couldn't do
03:22 it.
03:23 It didn't feel normal to me.
03:25 So like I said, just honestly, the biggest key for me was Nick Chubb.
03:30 You know, obviously him going through his knee injury in college.
03:34 This first my first day on a bike, he saw me he was like, you know, it's gonna be hard,
03:37 but you know, you'll get through it.
03:39 And listening to him every day, and I finally got a full revolution.
03:41 And I called him right away.
03:43 It was like, I did it.
03:45 So obviously, like I said, my teammates pushed me being there every day for me really helped.
03:49 What do you guys have to do to get to a better start?
03:55 Yeah, um, I thought the offense started out really good, straight down the field.
04:00 Defensively, you know, we give up a couple plays, end up getting a stop, hold on to a
04:06 field goal.
04:07 So, again, not the great start that you want, but I thought it was solid enough.
04:12 Right now we got to finish we got to finish games.
04:14 And no matter how it looks, you know, we go in the fourth quarter, you know, think I had
04:18 made way through the fourth quarter is 20 to 19.
04:20 Defensively, we got to find a way to get stopped and keep getting stops.
04:25 And don't let the game get away from the same thing in Denver game.
04:29 You know, I think we're right there 1712 in the fourth quarter, one play and then we don't
04:33 get to stop on defense and this game gets away from us.
04:35 So we got to worry about, you know, obviously, the details and the fundamentals and everything
04:39 like that.
04:40 But I think we need to finish better as a team.
04:41 How did you, you know, what did you think when you watched the gruesome ankle injury
04:47 by Trevor Lawrence?
04:48 I'm sure you guys want to want me to be out there facing you.
04:53 No doubt.
04:54 Yeah, I saw it.
04:55 I didn't know exactly what it was.
05:00 But anytime a player throws his helmet, you know, it's you know, it's kind of bad.
05:04 So obviously, you know, prayers for him.
05:06 Hopefully, like I said, he is out there.
05:08 Like you said, he is out there for us against us on Sunday.
05:10 You always you always want to play against the best.
05:13 You know, but again, we can't worry about that.
05:15 We got to worry about ourselves and whoever they put out quarterback.
05:17 I played against CJ Beathard in college a lot.
05:20 So you know, I know he can get the job done as well.
05:22 So we got to be ready for whoever steps out of court against us.
05:25 Trevor does make it back.
05:27 What are the things that make him so dangerous?
05:29 Yeah, elite arm talent can make every throw.
05:33 You know, the full control of the offense, being able to change plays and all that stuff.
05:37 Yeah, he's to do it all.
05:39 You know, quarterback and you know, an elite quarterback in this NFL league.
05:42 What about Beathard?
05:43 I mean, you said you played against him multiple times.
05:47 What you know, what does he what does he do well?
05:49 What can you know how does he kind of fit in there?
05:52 Yeah, very experienced quarterback can make every throw as well.
05:56 Obviously, kick my butt when I was in college one time, got him back with my senior year
06:00 though.
06:01 So that was good.
06:03 But yeah, another guy, like I said, just better and better and present.
06:06 You can never underestimate that as a quarterback.
06:08 He's seen everything.
06:09 Like I said, can get those guys in the in the right place.
06:12 And at the end of the day, they have playmakers to get the ball to.
06:15 So I know he can do that really well.
06:16 And that's how they attack defenses.
06:17 How's the bounce back feeling?
06:18 What's the vibe and the mood as you guys head into this game?
06:19 Yeah, I think we got closer as a team.
06:20 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:21 But I think that whole trip, we got closer, we were able to spend time together similar
06:22 to Greenbrier.
06:23 So I wouldn't trade that.
06:24 Obviously, you definitely want to trade the win.
06:25 The losses for one game.
06:26 But I think we got closer as a team.
06:27 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:28 But I think that whole trip, we got closer.
06:29 We were able to spend time together similar to Greenbrier.
06:30 So I wouldn't trade that.
06:31 Obviously, you definitely want to trade the win.
06:32 The losses for one game.
06:33 But I think we got closer.
06:34 We were able to spend time together similar to Greenbrier.
06:35 So I wouldn't trade that.
06:36 Obviously, you definitely want to trade the win.
06:37 The losses for one game.
06:38 But I think we got closer.
06:39 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:40 But I think we got closer.
06:41 We were able to spend time together similar to Greenbrier.
06:42 So I wouldn't trade that.
06:43 Obviously, you definitely want to trade the win.
06:44 The losses for one game.
06:45 But I think we got closer.
06:46 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:47 But I think we got closer.
06:48 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:49 But I think we got closer.
06:50 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:51 But I think we got closer.
06:52 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:53 But I think we got closer.
06:54 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:55 But I think we got closer.
06:56 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:57 But I think we got closer.
06:58 Obviously, we lost two games.
06:59 But I think we got closer.
07:00 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:01 But I think we got closer.
07:02 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:03 But I think we got closer.
07:04 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:05 But I think we got closer.
07:06 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:07 But I think we got closer.
07:08 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:09 But I think we got closer.
07:10 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:11 But I think we got closer.
07:12 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:13 But I think we got closer.
07:14 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:15 But I think we got closer.
07:16 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:23 But I think we got closer.
07:26 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:29 But I think we got closer.
07:32 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:35 But I think we got closer.
07:38 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:41 But I think we got closer.
07:44 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:47 But I think we got closer.
07:50 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:53 Obviously, we lost two games.
07:56 But I think we got closer.
07:59 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:02 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:05 But I think we got closer.
08:08 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:11 But I think we got closer.
08:14 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:17 But I think we got closer.
08:20 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:23 Obviously, we lost two games.
08:26 But I think we got closer.