There are interviews that lead to particular stories. Some take turns and are good to listen to, but don't form any story in particular. I interviewed Arizona Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson the other day and some of the interview was useful for a particular story (what the highlight of the season has been so far). But the rest of it is fun, but not good for any particular story. It would make a good podcast, but since it was an interview done over the phone in my car, my call recorder audio quality isn't sufficient to post the audio. So...here is this.
These are some of the other things Tony told as part of his job promoting the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game (he can't wait for the game).
Video games and the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game:
Tony is definitely a gamer. He, Deone Bucannon and Tyrann Mathieu will play the new game. He said he always takes his PlayStation on the road for flights and the hotel.
What is he most excited about with the new Call of Duty game (take a look at it here)?
"Just found out now in the campaign mode we're going to be able to play online with our friends," he said. "We're going to be able to go through missions with your friends."
He is excited to get his teammates together and "be the brains" for all the tactical things.
Not everyone is into video games. Patrick Peterson isn't so much.
"I'm trying to get Patrick more into the video games," Jefferson told me. "Once you make $70 million, you're not too into the video games as much."
Did James Bettcher get in on the halftime tirade:
We spoke of the halftime tirade Bruce Arians had in Cleveland. He said he only repeat "about two percent" of it. I was reminded of when Todd Bowles went off and asked if current defensive coordinator James Bettcher also was in on the action at halftime.
He wasn't.
"Bettcher, that's not really his style," he said. "He's not rah-rah. He just gets to the point. He knows that we respect him and that we hear his voice. He's not really that type of guy."
His Lebron moment:
I recall hearing how Jefferson called his last-minute interception against the Baltimore Ravens his "LeBron moment."
I asked him about it.
"That was basically a statement in the closing moment," he said. "That's LeBron. That's his stuff. He ends games on buzzer beaters. It was basically a buzzer-beater interception for me."
On the Truest Savages:
Because of a recent radio interview, we learned the Cardinals defensive backs group text one another and have given themselves a name - the "Truest Savages."
We also learned Rashad Johnson is known as Saban, because of his defensive knowledge and his ability to be like a coach.
Tyrann Mathieu is Badger.
What do they call Jefferson?
"They call me 'Bobcat,'" he explained.
There is a story behind it.
"My rookie year, when I came in, I was confused with this defense," he told me. "I was getting all the other plays right, I was making plays, but there was just this one play that I just could not get to save my life. It got to the point to where Coach Bowles would purposely call that play just to see me mess up on it. It kind of carried on since my rookie year and everybody calls me 'Bobcat' because that's the name of the play."
As for other nicknames, Justin Bethel just was given one -- 'Kryptonite.'
"We're still coming up with some names," he said.
The bye week:
Jefferson said he was all set to go up to Las Vegas with some of his teammates. But last week he took his son to day care and he came back and got to whole house sick. Jefferson might spend the bye in bed with medicine. Sounds like what an old guy like me ends up doing.
Sunday Night Football twice in two weeks:
He told me getting the Bengals games flexed to Sunday Night Football is "huge."
He said they have to "show out" and and the team is "ready to show the world the 'No Fly Zone' is for real."