Commanders RB Austin Ekeler joins G&D to discuss the big loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
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00:00presented by IT Cadre Austin Eckler where DC Sports Insiders share their exclusive perspective.
00:07Austin, it's been a fantastic season chatting with you every single week.
00:10Hate that this is our final ride here after the elimination game. Let's go back to Sunday going
00:17into the game. What was your guys' level of confidence heading up to Philly? How did you
00:21feel going into the matchup? Hey, what's going on fellas? Yeah, this has been a great journey and
00:28it was a great journey. Obviously didn't end the way we wanted to, but going into that game,
00:33you know, the mindset was let's continue to hunt just like we were, you know, the two weeks before
00:38that going into playoffs. Like understanding that, you know, it's pretty much us versus
00:44basically ourselves, right? Let's go out there and as long as we play our game,
00:48you know, we'll be able to find success like we have in the past. So that was the mindset going
00:52into it. What was different about the third time? Like what sort of changes did you guys make? Did
00:57they make that you kind of noticed was different playing the same team for a third time?
01:03Yeah. I mean, for the most part, when you get to this point in the season, you are who you are
01:07and you hang your hat on that. You're going to live or die by that. And so it wasn't anything
01:12crazy that they did that we weren't expecting or anything like that or vice versa. You know,
01:17just on that day, they were better at what they did than we were able to, you know,
01:23keep up with. And at the end of the day, as an offense, we just had too many turnovers. And
01:27as we know, watching the other games and even our games, you know, that turnover margin in the NFL,
01:32especially at the playoff level is detrimental to your success. And that's kind of what ended
01:37up playing out for us. One of the things we've been talking about with listeners,
01:41we've taken a lot of calls on the last couple of days is the juxtaposition Austin of the amazing
01:47year. Nobody saw it coming. The fun ride that we all went on that was kind of a gift, frankly,
01:53and then it ending every year ends with a loss. But fifty five points had never been scored in
01:58a conference title game. And now 50 million people watching and losing by 30 and like
02:02trying to make sense of all that. How do we feel about the end being what it was when it was so
02:07great all year? And I was kind of already like the minute the game ended in the mode of, you know,
02:12what? Thank God for this season. This is the best year in thirty three years. I'm thirty six. I've
02:17never seen anything like this for this team in my life. Danny, it's taking a little bit longer.
02:22He's reeling a little more. What about you? Like, how do you compartmentalize those things?
02:28Man, it sucks, you know, like for us as competitors, you know, being in the building,
02:34especially when you have a lot of guys that weren't here in the previous year. And even if
02:39you were right every time you have a new season, it's a new mindset that we're going to go the
02:43distance and to get that close and to, you know, kind of go out like that where it was a pretty
02:48brutal beating. It stings things either way, even if it was a close game and we lost, it would still
02:54sting just because you're so close to getting to that final game and really giving yourself a
03:00chance to be a world champion and just how much goes into it. And especially as a year eight
03:05player now, just knowing that teams are different every single year. You know, you can have high
03:10expectations and kind of flatline or vice versa, like we did this year where there's low expectations,
03:15but we actually superseded those. And you never know how the world, the game is going to play
03:20out. You just know you're going to give it your best shot. And hopefully that that can give you
03:24some some wins and give you a chance to get into the tournament. And it's a journey every single
03:29time. So I am I'm definitely still feeling it like that weight will hold on me, you know,
03:34for a while, you know, definitely till the Super Bowl because it's just I can't even watch it. I
03:39feel like I'm just sick watching it, especially because, I mean, I've gone against the Chiefs
03:43for the past, you know, seven years. And then also now the Eagles are on division. Now they're going.
03:49So it's great getting the double dip of people that I don't want to see win the thing. So,
03:54yeah, that's where I'm at. How long does it usually take for you to kind of say,
03:58you know, that as a such a high level competitor, Austin, to go from, you know,
04:04I'm so annoyed, I'm ticked off. It stinks to have lost that last game to, OK, I can have some
04:10appreciation for this journey here as I get a little bit further away. Like for you personally,
04:14how long does it kind of take to turn that page? Oh, I feel like I need to have like, I don't know,
04:20a month or so. I need to get like in a different routine almost like I've been in the football
04:24routine for so long. And that's kind of what I'm accustomed to right now. And until I can
04:29actually like get some time to get in a routine doing something else right now to be training and
04:34dealing with some business endeavors. Once that starts to become like a normal daily thing for me
04:38and gets my mind on something else, I think that's what it'll take. So at least, you know,
04:43February before I'm like feeling like, OK, rejuvenated and my mind is like not thinking
04:50about it anymore. And it kind of that weight of disappointment is lifted off of me. But
04:55there's always a little piece that will always remember what it felt like
05:00to be in that moment and lose that way. Austin Eckler presented by IT Cadre with us on Grant
05:07and Danny. You know, one of the things Dan Quinn talked about after the game,
05:10obviously the three turnovers were such a key, but he talked about how he gave the Eagles a lot
05:15of credit. Like, it's not like you guys just dropped the ball or ran into each other or
05:20something. Right. Like the Eagles really made plays the punch fumble on you when you were
05:25getting up after a really nice athletic catch and you're hopping back to your feet to try to go get
05:29extra yards. The Army's fighting for extra yards. Do you take any solace in that? Or
05:35is that something where you're like, no, dude, it just can't happen? Like, what's your thought on
05:40they get paid to? And those are pretty good defensive plays, even though they were
05:44kind of damaging plays. Yeah, that's the that's the margin of the NFL. And, you know, it's one
05:52careless play here, there with the ball. And that can turn into the game coming out a different
05:57outcome. And for us, you know, it's more of a landslide since we had four turnovers at zero.
06:02They took care of the ball better than we did. You know, and it was kind of the opposite when
06:06we played the Lions. Right. We they didn't take care of the ball as well as we did.
06:10And it shows it shows that's not that you don't practice it. Obviously, we practice it. We didn't
06:14turn it over at all. We were like the week before. You guys had zero like one of us.
06:19We were like one of the lowest, you know, turnover teams in the league this entire year.
06:24And so it's definitely something that we coach. Dan Quinn says it almost every day. It's all about
06:28the ball. It's something that we're conscious of. But again, all the talking and practice
06:34is all to lead up to Sunday to where it has to show up and it has to matter the most.
06:38And unfortunately, we were put in situations where there were some flip ups, including mine.
06:43You know, I take ownership of that. You know, I got to make sure even if I'm getting up off
06:46the ground, protecting the ball or know when the ride's over, just stay down. And, you know,
06:51we got to take that. And that's what sports is, who makes the least amount of mistakes.
06:55And for for us on Sunday was them. And, you know, that's why that's why. So it's not that
07:00it's not important. It's always important. It's always of utmost importance. It's about who can
07:05maintain the most discipline during the game. Well, you put way more deposits in the bank
07:09than withdraws. Hopefully not. You're not beating yourself up too bad. Everybody,
07:13Austin Eckler here on Grant and Danny on the fan joining us. One final ride after this,
07:19the final game of the commander's season in the NFC Championship game, an amazing campaign where
07:24they ended up in the final four in the NFL for the guys that are coming back like yourself with
07:29a multi-year deal. What do you think you can take out of the three playoff games you guys played in
07:37for a guy like Jaden, a rookie quarterback who hopefully is playing in games like this next year?
07:41Like in what ways will you guys be better off for this experience in these scars as Dan Quinn calls
07:47it? Yeah, you know, when you have a new core group of guys come in like we did and new coaching staff,
07:54they bring in the new philosophy. So something that's going to carry over will be just those
08:00standards of the team will also be kind of the expectation of this team now is at a new level
08:06for ourselves internally because we know now our case, not because we don't think we're going to
08:11win, but now it's because we know the capabilities of our team, which we really had some questions
08:15about, you know, at the beginning of the year when we were kind of unfamiliar with ourselves.
08:19And so now having a new core group with new philosophies and that are going to be here for
08:23a second year, I think we're really in a position to build off of what we've done this year. It's
08:27not going to be the same team. So it won't be necessarily apples to apples, but it's still
08:32going to be in the realm of the Dan Quinn flavor. We'll see what happens with the coordinators. I
08:37saw something about Cliff, maybe not leaving or something like that. And obviously, you know,
08:41we have Jayden coming back. So, you know, our offense is going to run through him just like
08:45it did this year. So for an offensive standpoint, like we're going to have our identity. And I
08:50think that's going to be something that is going to be established. You know, Jayden's going to
08:53be involved in running, passing, doing all that stuff. And then also keeping us in the RPO game,
08:59quick passes, you know, Terry coming alive this year as well in his way. So our identity has
09:03really solidified ourselves. And I think that's going to be the biggest carryover next year.
09:07I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. Austin, you referenced it. That's the report is that
09:10Cliff Kingsbury's, you know, on his way back to Washington, how important is that continuity
09:14kind of keeping those same voices as a guy that's been around in the league and gone through a
09:18couple of different sets of changes. How important is that to kind of keep all those things you just
09:22mentioned, you know, everything on the train tracks? Well, I mean, just look at the teams
09:27that have been there and done that, you know, look at the old Patriots, look at the chiefs now.
09:32And once you find a chemistry that works, man, as an ownership, I hope you're doing everything to,
09:37you know, to really hold onto that because it's rare and you can tell because you can see every
09:42year, all the different shuffles of coordinators and head coaches and these and that. And so that's
09:48what the NFL is. How can we put the best group of men together and support staff together to
09:55actually push this thing forward and maintain and sustain success? Because we know what that means.
10:02That means legacy building. And now, you know, if the chiefs are known as the heavy hitter,
10:06that's the team to beat. And, you know, what that does for the city, what that does for,
10:10you know, all of those fans that are in that, it makes it a staple in your legacy as a team,
10:16as a country, I mean, as a state, like you're represented. So there's so much that rides on.
10:22That's why we put so much into this. And I hope, you know, they do everything they can to continue
10:26to keep us in a place where we have a winning culture right now and try to keep it together.
10:30But at the same time, if they get another opportunity and they're like, hey, I want to go
10:33be a coach over there. You can't blame them for that either. Austin Ackler, 13 touches for the
10:39commanders heavily involved in their NFC championship game in Philly this past weekend, joining us here
10:45presented by I.T. Cadre on Grant and Danny. We'll get some listener questions in just a couple of
10:51moments in terms of. Progressing this offseason, like they're going to go out and add talent and
10:58bring guys in to help you out, Danny and I have been talking a lot about how we're confident the
11:03team will be more talented next year, but that doesn't guarantee anything like so much of this
11:08was about chemistry and the brotherhood and the locker room and and this group will never be the
11:13same. I mean, as a leader in the locker room, what's that part like for you in terms of you're
11:18going to have to recapture that magic a little bit with Dan Quinn? Yeah, we will. We 100 percent will,
11:25and that's kind of the you know, the the plus and the minus, the good and the bad with with sports
11:31as far as you're going to have to do it over again, which can be a bad thing if you just had
11:35an amazing season because, you know, you're going to lose some people. But it's also a good thing
11:38because it's a new opportunity to kind of write a new story for that year. You're going through
11:43it. So it kind of makes things fluid, you know, and so that's what it will be this year. And
11:47there's no guarantees. I hope, you know, for me as a player and a leader, I hope we bring in good
11:51guys that we had like this year. Most of the guys that are bought into a vision and really kind of
11:57bought into this brotherhood thing that we talk about all the time and what the standard means,
12:01what it means practicing, what it means taking care of the team. You know, really not a lot
12:05of problems coming from our team as far as, you know, our culture and especially going out to
12:09media. Like there's nothing really that really stood out this year that I've seen in the past
12:13where, you know, you can see some things that are divided and obviously winning helps that.
12:17But definitely can be easy to just have pop up that we see so many times where you have
12:23individuals that are popping off for not getting the ball or this or that. And there's never ever
12:30a sense of that was ever going to be a thing just because of the guys that we had in. So,
12:34you know, you can't really judge a man's character from, you know, seeing him up front
12:38and seeing the stats, but I'm hoping that we can bring in some good character guys that are
12:43talented that, you know, could fit kind of the mold that we have here with DQ and Adam Peters.
12:48Austin, you're such a sharp guy and very thoughtful about matters of the league and the sport in
12:53general and players and everything else. So I learned something this past week or this past
12:57Sunday as I'm watching the game and the defense, your defense was trying to stop a play and the
13:03referee said, listen, if these I'm paraphrasing, if these guys do it again, I'm going to turn this
13:08car around and get Philadelphia points. I've never seen that. I'd never heard of that.
13:13What was good? Did, first of all, did you know that second of all, what was going through your
13:17mind and the mind of the guys on the sideline going like, what the hell is this you talking
13:20about? They're doing heart counts and guys are reacting. That seemed, that sounded crazy to me.
13:26Yeah, we, we every Friday we go over basically like a rules check and we'll talk about some
13:32of the funky rules and things that can kind of come up through the NFL and talk through scenarios.
13:36So we've talked through that one before where they can actually award different types of points,
13:41some weird kind of plays that come up, you know, someone runs off the sideline and stuff like that.
13:47So, yes, I've heard it. I've never obviously seen it. Cause I don't think we've seen that in
13:51I don't know, decades ever happened, but you know, in my opinion, you know, after the second one,
13:56I'm just like, okay, like run the dang play. Like we know what's happening. You know, it's freaking
14:01basically unstoppable. Like just get it over with, like do something. And you know, those guys,
14:06the defense trying to do everything they can, obviously, you know, Lou was selling out to try
14:10to stop this play. And so I desperate times come from desperate measures, so I don't blame them.
14:14Like send it. And you know, he got warned and I, I mean, I thought it was, I'm like, yeah,
14:20I'm here for it, man. Cause I don't know what else you can do. Cause it's basically unstoppable. So
14:28yeah, that was a kind of a wacky moment.
14:30Austin, I got two listener questions here presented by IT cadre for us,
14:34so we can end the conversation with these couple. I'll start with Z who says,
14:39what's Austin going to do to unwind after the long crazy season? So what are your
14:44plans in the coming days to kind of get your head back on straight?
14:49Yeah. As I kind of mentioned earlier, you know, it comes down to just getting into the
14:52off season routine. And for me, it really comes down to my, my training regimen. Like
14:57I'll get back into training. I'll take, I'll take a few weeks off. Um, not necessarily
15:02don't need it from like a lifting standpoint from getting hit and stuff like that. So that's
15:06what my body feel like. It feels completely good. Like my finger, there's just a little,
15:10you know, residuals, like my fingers are jammed. My neck is sore to turn, you know,
15:15like to turn to different sides. Like my hamstrings are a little sore. So like things like that,
15:20that you'll give a couple of weeks. And then for me, it's right back into my business endeavor.
15:24So I have an app that's helping athletes create content for universities right now for the
15:29collective duties and stuff like that. So we can continue to share the stories of,
15:33of ourselves as athletes for the fans. So that'll be my biggest priority as far as kind of like the,
15:39the professional world. Um, but then keep myself in tip top shape when it comes to my NFL journey
15:46and making sure that I'm spending the time, putting in the time at the, at the training
15:50facility. And then also I'm married now, married for like eight months. So I'll be spending a lot
15:56of time with wifey, you know, a vacation here or there. And then I think we have a few weddings
16:00and stuff like that. So, um, that is my off season and, uh, I am definitely looking forward
16:05to it after eight years in the league. Austin, last one, listener question from Aaron says,
16:10it's probably an underrated thing from fans. How hard it is for you guys that have been together
16:14every day for, you know, three quarters, you know, nine to eight 10ths or whatever of a year
16:19every day as teammates and this unit will never be the same again. What's the hardest part about
16:24kind of saying goodbye almost to a team? Yeah, there's a, there's a few things in there that
16:30I'll give you some insights on. So definitely not seeing each other as much, um, kind of just
16:35breaks up the camaraderie that we had just every single day. You know, some of us will stay in
16:41touch with each other. Uh, but a lot of that was us put in a position where we get to see each other
16:46every single day and it's, it's more so forced upon you. So that brotherhood is a lot easier
16:50to maintain just like you, when you're in college or high school, when you see your buddies every
16:54single day, and then, you know, you grow old, you kind of grow apart from each other because of,
16:57you know, locations and jobs and stuff. So now it's like, now we all go back to, I'm going to
17:01Nevada, there's going to Florida, Texas. Um, so it just becomes a little bit more distant than it
17:07used to be. Um, and then other things too, that we always miss, like for me, like the routine,
17:12the routine of right, having a table to get like breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you know,
17:17so really not having to cook at all. Like the whole routine is just kind of flipped on its head.
17:20I would tell my wife, I'm like, dang, one of the worst parts is now we've got to make our own food.
17:26So, uh, you know, it's, it's just a, an adjustment that we have to do, but I mean,
17:30just like anything, um, we'll take it head on and, uh, you know, get after it, but,
17:34um, yeah, definitely going to miss the guys. And I know some of them actually be out and
17:38where I'm training, we'll train at the same place, but we'll stay in touch obviously through that.
17:42And, um, keeping camaraderie going and I know OTAs is only a few months out. So that's,
17:46what's great about off season as well as we get some time together when we're training during OTAs.
17:51Well, Austin, the season on the field for you guys was a blast. It was a lot of fun,
17:5514 wins and an NFC title game appearance. Many of us will never forget it, but I got to tell you
18:00on behalf of our producers, Darris and Ryan and myself and Danny, we have thoroughly enjoyed
18:06getting to know you and interviewing you once a week, all season long, just such a pro.
18:11And we've had countless listeners reach out to us about things they've learned about
18:16the NFL experience, or just really getting to know you through the airwaves. You've made a
18:21lot of fans here in DC, but thank you for an awesome season. We really enjoyed this partnership.
18:27Yeah, likewise. And I want to say thank you to you guys for, um, you know,
18:31letting me have this platform. This is, this is your guys' show and, uh, you guys are sharing
18:35that with me so I get my voice out there and we can make some great content for everyone
18:39listening out there. So thank you to everyone that's been staying tuned and, uh, looking forward
18:43to Kim coming back and let's keep the, keep the wave going. We're not done yet. So, uh,
18:47hope you guys are ready for next year.
18:49Well, we're already lined up. Week one, baby. Let's go. September can't come soon enough.
18:54I know you want to go to those weddings and have some fun.
18:56Get your feet up a couple of days.
18:58Yeah, but we're, we're, we're not sore. We're ready to go. I can eat chips and dip and watch
19:01football again in a week, but seriously, enjoy your off season and we'll talk soon. Hopefully
19:06Austin. Thanks brother.
19:08Yep. Thanks guys.
19:09Yeah. Be good. There's Austin Eckler. One final time this season presented by IT cadre,
19:14trusted insight, helping leaders of the nation's most important organizations, understand complexity,
19:20align efforts and make the best data driven decisions to achieve success.
19:24IT cadre, your vision, our purpose. He was tremendous.
19:30All year long, man. Such a sharp dude. And I've, I love how thoughtful he is and how,
19:36like he's like, whether, whether I expected the perspective or not, he's always got a
19:40perspective on something. You know what I mean? Like it's, it's not just any kind of recycled
19:44cliche. It's that no, no, I've, you can always tell I've thought about that, whatever the,
19:48that is, I have an opinion about it. And this is why I do what I do, or this is why
19:53this is done this way. And it could be done that way, or this is the right way.
19:57There's always a, he has an answer for everything. And that's what I was always so impressed with,
20:01with him and awesome every week. You know what I'll say is, uh, hopefully we do it again next
20:05year and next year, I'm going to make it a point to ask him more things about around the league
20:10stuff. Cause it wasn't until late in the year that we started to broach more like NFL themed
20:16conversations and not just what's going on with the commanders matchup this week.
20:20And he was so good on that stuff. Yeah. So for example, the, the coaching calendar,
20:23we, he, he, he volunteered that was something that we asked him about it. He was going,
20:26yeah, you know what I would do if I was in charge, I would have a moratorium on,
20:29on coaching hires the same way we do for, for agency in the draft. I don't think it's fair.
20:34My favorite was his take though, on Saquon Barkley and just how passionate and opinionated
20:40he was on running backs, not being paid what a lot of other positions get paid. And also the,
20:47the hard knocks behind the scenes video that we got to see
20:50of those negotiations and how bad the giants looked. And he was excellent on that.