The OTP | Cedric Gray Interview, Jeffrey Simmons’ Foundation & Thanksgiving Show

The OTP | Cedric Gray Interview, Jeffrey Simmons’ Foundation & Thanksgiving Show

[Music] This is the OTP. I’m Amy Wells. Happy Thanksgiving everybody. We are so happy to have you here with us on the OTP and we hope you are enjoying your holiday. On today’s episode, we have a special treat for you. We have two interviews with guys who are making a huge impact on this Titans team, and they both happen to be playing on the Titans defensive side of the ball. First up, Taylor Zarszer sat down with Cedric Gray. Now, Cedric has 105 tackles this season. That’s the third most of any player in this league right now, and it’s safe to say that Cedric is making a huge impact on this team. So, Taylor and Cedric Gray talked about a lot of different things. how he’s taken the secondyear leap, the special cleats that he wore for his friend in this past week’s My Cause, My Cleats game, and the culture that he’s hoping to build here within the Titans organization. So, take a minute and listen to this very special interview with Titans linebacker Cedric Gray. In his second season in the National Football League, he is one of the top tacklers in the NFL right now through the first 11 games. And I say it’s your second season in the NFL. It feels sort of like a first and a half season for you given uh the injury that you had to go through last year. Why would you or how would you explain to everybody said about how you’re on fire this season and tackling opponents? Yeah, I mean I I think that’s just something I honestly have naturally and me I always felt like I’ I’ve been a pretty good instinctual football player. Um, but I think just growing throughout, you know, my my rookie year, um, being injured and and just taking the lessons and learning during that time period while I was on IR, um, and just continue to grow throughout the off season, um, through OTAAS, uh, training camp, preseason, and I think I just continued to develop and grow and and learn more about the game and been able to kind of showcase that this year. No doubt. Um, and you are you’re tackling the best you ever have in your entire life. But I know that you love the game of football and you always have. In fact, I shared this text that I got from your defensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina, Gene Chisik, who’s a good friend of mine and he recently sent me this t text. She said, “Don’t forget to tell Said that I can’t think of anybody in 30 plus years of doing this that love football any more than him.” I mean, that guy won a national championship. He coached Cam Newton. He was he’s been around the block and he says you love football more than anyone else. Think that’s true? Yeah. I mean, I I think that’s the ultimate ultimate compliment to receive um from a coach like that, a legend in the in the college football world that he is. Um to kind of get that compliment from him, I think that’s, you know, just speaks very highly of me and I and I definitely appreciate that. I definitely think it’s some truth for it. I love ball. I love watching ball, playing ball. I’m very passionate about the game. Um and and he got to see that, you know, up close and personal for a few years there at Carolina. So definitely appreciate the compliment. When did you first love football? Oh, I’ve been playing football since I was little. Uh four or five years old. I remember my mom got me into like flag football and I’ve literally played every year since and I just fell in love ever since then. And I know that you were one heck of an offensive player at Arjie Kell High School back in the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina. You and I both have some roots there. Yeah. Were you always a a lover of defense as much as you were offense? Yes. So, I mean, I tell people all the time that, you know, I actually did play offense. You know, back in the day, I was a receiver. I thought I was going to be Julio Jones one day. That was like my idol uh younger when I was coming up. I actually wore number 11 in high school. Uh but but yeah, I was I was definitely a receiver when I was younger. I mean, when when you’re a kid at that age and youth football, you just play ball, you know? So, I played everything. You you can name it. running back, wide receiver, safety, linebacker. Um, and and and then once I got to high school, I actually kind of particularly focused on wide receiver. Um, and I remember like my sophomore year, our team wasn’t having the best of season. Uh, kind of had some injuries and my coaches threw me in at linebacker. Um, and then ever since then, I kind of played both ways throughout high school. Um, and it’s actually interesting because I still wanted to play receiver even playing both ways throughout high school. Um, but UNCC was the only top school to offer me and it was at linebacker. I had a whole bunch of like FCS schools offer me at receiver. Uh, but it’s always been my dream to play big-time power football. So, that that was kind of the leap of faith that I took that had me ended up playing linebacker because I probably would have just ended up at a smaller school to play wide receiver. And I know that you are very proud to be a Tarheel. Yes. And it made a huge impact on you. So, it was obviously the right choice. You ever go up to coach Brown or one of the assistants and say, “Come on, man. Just give me one play on offense. No, I I actually it was funny. We had a deal my junior year. It was so funny in the bowl game. Um if we were like blowing them out towards the end, coach would throw me in throw me a goal line fade at the end, but that didn’t quite happen unfortunately. But definitely always advocated for that for that one obviously replace what I had. You had to chase around former teammate Drake May, also a Charlotte guy who went to rival Meyers Park High School. Uh, but you were hoping he would throw you a football at at some point in Chapel Hill. Well, I know that that entire experience was one that prepared you for the National Football League and you did something really powerful in your last game. Said we had this initiative called My Cause, My Cleats, where you wore some cleats on behalf of someone else. You wore them for a late teammate of yours, Tyler Craft, who passed away uh recently due to a cancer battle and he was a teammate of yours at at North Carolina and I know that he had a huge impact on you. Can you tell everybody about him? Yeah, so uh me me and Tyler Craft, we both came in together at Carolina, uh class of 2020, um and we just kind of came in together. we, you know, became close, spent a lot of times, you know, football, practice, meetings, whatever, um, dormates, all different kind of things like that. So, uh, spent a lot of time with each other. And I I remember like I think it was spring ball, um, going into our sophomore year, um, is is when we kind of found out and when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Um, and it was just a uphill battle for him, um, since then. Um, but he continued to fight. uh he was, you know, still taking classes. Um he was still working out. He came to team workouts. Um like I was telling you earlier, um I remember times during the summer we were doing sprint workouts and he’s going through all this therapy, chemotherapy, and he’s still out there with us. Um and just such an inspiring person um to just have around the team and and and to call a friend. Um I mean, he he he he just went through so many different things. Um and unfortunately uh he he had passed away last year about September last year, September October last year um due to the cancer but he fought it and he fought it hard for a good good four years. So extremely proud of him. He’s very very inspiring and I’ll always remember him and and and always, you know, keep him by my side. He made a big impact on you. You can tell that you carry him with you as a professional football player. Yeah, definitely do. And after you finished your Tarheel career, you get drafted by the Tennessee Titans. You come here to Nashville. What did that feel like? An amazing feeling. I I definitely still remember that day. My mom, my brother, they always just just talk about that day, how magical it was. And you know, just my journey and just everything I’ve been through to kind of get to this point. um is is is definitely a very fulfilling feeling um to kind of make it here and you know just continue to now being here and and and now being able to make an impact on the team this year. You know it is still so surreal for me at times. Um but definitely just very proud of the growth. and you get injured at the end of training camp in late August last year and you’re not able to play football for a couple of months before you finally could make your debut in the regular season. I would imagine that’s some real adversity. Seed, what did that what was that experience like? Yeah. Yeah, it was it was definitely a I say a tougher time in my life. Um, you know, I’ve played football my whole life and I don’t think I ever really had a huge big injury that kind of kept me out. um how that injury kind of kept me out. So I think it was not only just facing that injury for the first time, you know, you see people who go through it a lot and you feel for them, but actually being that person, it was it was definitely a different perspective. Um but I think also, you know, it just being my rookie year as well and like coming in and and feeling the need to prove yourself um and and not kind of being able to kind of weighs on you mentally. Um so it was definitely a tougher time. Um, you know, but I just leaned on my faith, leaned on my family, leaned on my mom and my brother. Those are like my aces, the people that I I I lean on and talk to the most. Um, and just kept my head high. Um, and and and really just kept grinding through it all. And, you know, opportunity will will show itself at some point and and just prepare yourself and get ready for it. You had 15 tackles against the Indianapolis Colts when they finally let you out there on the field last year. So, you were doing some of this last year, but would you say that this off season is the biggest reason for why you’re playing at this level now? Yeah. Yeah, I I definitely would credit it to this off season. I think I’ve grown so much. Um, you know, just skill, technique, scheme, um, just learning football, learning how the game is played at the NFL level, I think are all things that I’ve just learned and have gotten better throughout the offseason. I think has ultimately uh contributed to my play. Did you go anywhere to train? Is there a certain thing that happened in your training that kind of led to this? No, I I I actually stayed here this off seasonason. So, I was actually here with the the strength staff here uh most of the offseason. So, I I didn’t do nothing crazy or anything special. I think I just, you know, tried to come in and and work every day and just grow and continue to learn. You’re such an example. Everybody throughout this building talks about your love of the game. how hard you work at it and the way that you play out there on Sundays. I know that you don’t want to be in the situation you’re in right now from a wins and losses standpoint, but everybody says said the culture is still strong around here. You’ve been on a lot of football teams. Tell us about this culture right now. Yeah, well, you know, I think the biggest thing that I love about this team, you know, through everything that we’ve been through, you know, like you said, wins have kind of been hard to come by. I I I don’t feel nobody giving up. I don’t feel nobody quitting. I feel men who are still coming in every day ready to work, ready for a new challenge and and ready to just find a way to turn this thing over. And and I think that’s the most encouraging thing um that we have going on here. I think we have a lot of young players um including myself um rookies, secondyear guys who are who who are really kind of growing into their own um and getting better by the day. Um, and I think we we really are building something here. Um, it might be harder to see right now. Um, but but I do believe, you know, we continue to grow, continue to get better, things will change. Well, I have no doubt with the way that you’re playing right now that that’ll be the case. All right, some rapid fire questions. You have over a hundred tackles as we sit here right now on the NFL season, one of the best in the National Football League. Do you have a favorite tackle this year? Favorite tackle? Um, I don’t know. Probably my sack. There you go. Yeah, probably my sack. Tell everybody about your sack. So, my sack was verse against the Los Angeles Chargers. Uh, just a a B got pressure. I was able to get the back one-on-one. Um, so got to run through his face. So, kind of ran through his face a little bit and was able to to sack Justin Herbert. Yep. It was a great moment at Nissan Stadium. All right. Some other fun ones. Uh, I know that Michael Jr. and Devon, your brothers, treated you like a little brother. You’ve been open about that. Are they still treating you like a little brother now that you’re in the NFL? No, it’s a running joke. No, I tell them I’m big bro now. No, but they they they were definitely um, you know, rougher on me, you know, growing up. you know, I contribute a lot a lot of my success to to them just, you know, bullying me, but in a healthy way, you know what I’m saying? Coming up, uh, just being hard on me. Um, and just pushing me to be, you know, you know, the man that I become today. Um, particularly my oldest brother. Um, I remember like in high school, you know, we would run routes in the backyard and and different things like that. So, um, just definitely one of my biggest fans. So definitely appreciate both of them a lot. When you go home to Esther, what’s the meal you have to have when mom is fixing food? What what do you have to have? Uh probably steak, mashed potatoes. I love her mashed potatoes. I love me a good steak. Said, what was your favorite pro team in any sport as a kid? Um probably I’d say the Pittsburgh Steelers really was my favorite team coming up. I’ll never forget in 2008 is when I became a Steelers fan. If you know, they won the Super Bowl that year versus the area Arizona Cardinals. That was like my first Super Bowl that I ever watched. I had been like six or seven years old at the time and I was like a Steelers fan ever since then. I fell in love with Troy Palamalu and James Harrison, Hines Ward, Ben Larasberger, just name a few. that that was like my favorite team coming up in the midst of Ravens and Commanders fans when you were really little living in in the DC and the DMV area and then moving to Charlotte around Panthers fans. You were still a Steeler guy. Yeah. Obviously now you are a Titan. Yeah. The movie you can’t turn off. Fast the Fast and Furious series. All any It doesn’t matter which one. It doesn’t matter which one. You’re always going to watch it. Always going to watch it. Okay. I asked Gunnar Helm this and he gave a great answer. I said, “Which one do you hate more, Texas A&M or Oklahoma?” I didn’t even get to Oklahoma and he said Texas A&M. Who do you hate more, Duke or NC State? NC State. NC State for sure. Duke like in football is like whatever. Like we always beat them. Um but NC State that’s like like the real football rivalry. I think Duke is more of the basketball rivalry. I went two years ago to the UNCC Duke game overtime game a couple years ago. That was wild. That was my senior year. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, all right. Last question and the most important question. I want you to finish this sentence for us. The Titans are turning this thing around because we have the right people here. We have the right people um in the room. We have the people who want it, who are dedicated enough um to turn this thing around. Um and I think quite frankly talented enough uh to get the job done. Tighten up. Tighten up. And one more thing as a uh paying parent. Tar heels. There we go. Cedric Gray. Hey football fans, satisfy your halftime hunger with Snickers and you could win sweet prizes this NFL season. Visit snickers.com/halime to enter and view the official rules. Pick up Snickers at a Kroger near you. When you bring Helman’s creamy buffalo chicken dip to the watch party, you can cheer too loud or block the TV or be a couch coach and no one will eject you from the game. That’s a hail Mayo. Helman’s, the official mayo of the Tennessee Titans. Hey Titans fans, with a Kroger Boost membership, you’ll score big with double fuel points, free delivery, and lots more. Go to kroger.com/boost for details. Kroger, the official ger of the Tennessee Titans. Tighten up. Now back to the OTP. Now moving on to another Titans defensive player. We’re going to talk about Jeffrey Simmons. But before we do, I want to make sure to take some time and have a cookie break brought to you by Christy Cookie. Um they have these Thanksgiving tins. It’s not too late if you would like to get a tin of Christy cookies to take to your family’s house. Nothing says I feel like I need to bring something, but I forgot. Here are some cookies. Um, I think that’s a great way to show up at any family gathering or a friend’s giving, you know. Um, the oatmeal raisin cookies are my f personal favorite. There’s also chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut. There are tons of options and they have brownies which are also really stinking good. So, christycookie.com for all your information. The holidays are coming. You want Christy Cookie to be a part of that. Now, Big Jeff, I promised you Jeffrey Simmons and here it is. He welcomed 50 kids from the Martha O’Brien Center out to Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park and gave them a really awesome Thanksgiving experience complete with playing in our the out in the bubble in the indoor facility here at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park. They ran through drills, got some real hands-on coaching for from some Titans players. Then they were treated to a dinner provided by Hattie Bees and they received some mental health training and had a conversation about really being able to process some of their emotions and feelings. A lot of great stuff from Jeffrey Simmons and his Give them a Reason Foundation. So, we took some time to catch up with him, talk about that foundation and why giving back to these kids was so important. Check it out. All right, Jeff. For starters, tell me about Give them a Reason. What is it? What are you hoping to do with this foundation? Uh, first off is the name of my foundation, Give Them a Reason. And when I first started to give him a reason, um, you know, I I was doing a lot of reflecting um, when I was like the way I grew up, um, the hardship that I I went through as a kid and you know, you think about a name for your foundation and we was going through I was going through all these things and the Jefferson Simmons Foundation and I came up and give him a reason and um, one big thing that I’m really sold on and I try to is it my cousin family that you know want an opportunity in life And I’m big on give people a reason to give you an opportunity in life. Give people a reason to come give you a scholarship to go to college and things of that nature. And still to this day like you know a lot of you know sometime you you can have family members that you know maybe sitting on the couch and I need a job but are you getting off the couch and giving people a reason to give give you an opportunity to come in for a job and things of that nature. But you know that’s the reason why I started my foundation with the name giving them a reason. But you know my foundation is surrounded by the youth. Um you know it’s it’s it’s the way of building self-esteem for these kids. It’s like today it’s like we asking who the faster kid and he came up there like I said I think I said no it’s like you know stand like you know believe in it believing that you are the fastest and you know I think that’s the biggest thing for me is trying to you know instilling u like that um I I guess I want to say the self belief the selfbelief um in yourself especially growing up as kids um you know I was fortunate to just have my mom growing up as a kid and it’s like you know I had to be the one that you know and my my mom of course helped me with that but I was the one that you know believed in myself to I can be that guy I can be the man of the house and the same thing like I said with my foundation I just try to you know build that self-esteem with our youth and just create more opportunity you know like today to be able to have these kids coming to the NFL facility and running around like you know that’s an opportunity that some of these kids probably would never ever get so just to partner with Martha O’Brien um center here in Nashville like you know It means a lot. Um, we all know Thanksgiving right here around the corner and you know, I’m just thankful to be able to do that, to be in a position to be able to do this. So, you’re always investing in kids whether it’s here in Nashville, whether it’s Middle Tennessee overall, whether it’s back in Mississippi, you are constantly doing things with kids. Why was that the thing that you knew like that’s the important thing for me? Um, I always said and I believe it, there are a future. Um, you know, when you when you come from a small town, um, like myself, small town Mon, Mississippi, when you only my mom raised five kids by itself and you realize that when you don’t have much in a small town, it’s a lot of things, bad things happen from young young kids. You see it all over social media, our young kids are throwing away their life, you know, to either drugs or going to jail or someone getting killed. So it’s like if we keep and myself um with my platform and um you know throughout the NFL guys using their platform, we continue to use our platform to bring light into our community to you know keep instilling in and talking to our youth and you know trying to touch our youth. You just never know who you could touch. Um you know who life you may change and like I said it’s it starts with our our youth and we have to keep instilling and u keep making sure we putting our time in our youth because we like I said they they are all preaching. We have to keep um um keep pushing pushing everything we can into them. It feels like every year the the footprint of impact that you have, the amount of events that you have, the things you’re doing, it keeps growing and growing and growing. So from the day you got drafted when you said, “I’m going to make an impact to what it is now. It’s grown exponentially and it feels like it keeps getting bigger.” Are you concerned you’re going to run out of things that you can do or places that you can get involved? I don’t think so because I I feel like every day is somewhere some somehow somebody need help. Um just just the things we’re going through right now. Let’s talk about the mental health things. It’s like today like today and you you thinking back back on your family or somebody that you’re close with our NFL brother who just you know killed himself. It’s like mental health is very important. So that just one topic and it’s so much other things in this world that we could constantly focus on and that’s why I don’t think I’ll never run out of ideas and you know I have a great team a great team that can help me um keep building it and like I said I I never do it for the for the looks and I I always tell people I do it because I care and um especially when it come to our youth um I mean the kid that just killed itself in Dallas is only 24 years old so it’s like when we could say one word and uh maybe just touch somebody. Um you you just never know. Um and I I enjoy doing what I do. Uh to be able to get into the community to be able to, you know, your body hurt, you kind of still pissed off on a Tuesday morning, you just left out um a Monday meeting, but it’s so much things that bigger that’s going on in this world that’s bigger than a win and loss of a football game. And that’s the reason why I do it. Being able to have that perspective of yes, what’s happening in my career, in my job is frustrating, but look at what I’m able to do away from that. That’s got to be something that impacts not only you and these kids, but also the entire organization. I would hope so. Um cuz I I always and and one of the biggest things that I uh one of the one of the things that I really love doing each and every year, especially when it gets around to the holidays, I go over to the children hospital and I go in their room and them kids like it’s like when I walk in there, I just kind of get chills because I know that these kids are dealing with, you know, cancer and trying to fight a sickness to save their life. And yes, that the game of football is so dangerous. But to be able to walk off that field and, you know, with my, you know, head up, chin up, and to be able to walk into that hospital like on a Tuesday, uh, morning and to see these kids with a big smile on their face, it’s like, why in the hell can I not, you know, be okay with a win or loss, no matter what it may be? Just be grateful to be able to play this game of football. um everybody. I mean the little kid in there, one of the kids I was talking to, you know, he wish he could still play the game of football and um you know that’s the reason that’s my why. Um especially when I’m able to do that do this job. Yes, it’s a hard job but also know that things on the outside world is so much more to be worried about and so much more important things than to be walking around walking around with my head down because of a loss. Titans fans, SeatGeek is the official primary ticketing partner of TitanUp and here to help you experience all the action this season. SeatGeek makes it easy to find the perfect seats to the perfect game so you can be part of all the touchdown celebrations and momentum shifting takeaways this season. Whether you’re getting tickets to Titans games or to any live event in Nashville, SeatGeek is the place to do it. SeatGeek is the official primary ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. Home is at the forefront of all we do. It’s why we’re so committed to caring for the places and spaces in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture provider of the Tennessee Titans. Genesis is the first and only official jeweler of the Titans, having earned that title since 2006. Titans players, coaches, and fans trust Genesis for the absolute best in selection, quality, customer service, and of course, value. for diamonds, engagement rings, designer fashion jewelry, and the largest selection of luxury pre-owned Rolexes in Tennessee. Genesis is the handsdown winner. Genesis Diamonds in Green Hills and Cool Springs, the official jeweler of the Tennessee Titans. It is time for the Little Caesar’s real deal matchup of the game. And here’s the deal. This week, the matchup that I’m looking for is all of us, myself, everyone here at the Tennessee Titans, you guys, the OT people, all of us against our Thanksgiving meals. Now, we all need to remember here, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I need you guys to pace yourselves. Nobody’s getting sick on my watch today. We are going to eat slowly. We are going to eat in courses, and we are going to go back for seconds. These are all things that we’re going to do this Thanksgiving as we are conquering what is hopefully for everyone a major major delicious but major meal. Titans fans get 15% off your Little Caesar’s order of $15 or more at participating stores using code Titans 15 at checkout. That of course excludes taxes and other fees. Pizza. It’s an AFC South Division game at Nissan Stadium this Sunday. Hey, the Tennessee Titans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kickoff for that game is at noon. You don’t want to miss it. Might be a little chilly, so be sure you bring a jacket and maybe a poncho. There might be some rain. Uh we definitely want you to be comfortable in the elements, but it’s going to be a great game. So, come on out to Nissan Stadium this Sunday. If you’re tuning in on Titans Radio this Sunday, remember Titans Countdown is on the airwaves at 11 a.m. Central time. And then Taylor Zarter and Coach Mack, of course, will have all the action for you on Titans Radio at noon. I’m Amy Wells. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. We so appreciate you taking the time to listen to us right here on the OTP. [Music]

Amie Wells and Taylor Zarzour deliver a special Thanksgiving edition of The OTP, featuring two in-depth interviews with Titans defensive standouts. Cedric Gray joins the show to discuss his breakout season, his journey from North Carolina, and the emotional story behind his My Cause My Cleats tribute. Later, Jeffrey Simmons talks about his Give Them a Reason foundation, youth outreach, mental health, and the impact he hopes to make in Nashville and Mississippi.

00:06 – 00:29 — Show Open & Thanksgiving Welcome
00:29 – 01:10 — Introducing Cedric Gray Interview
01:10 – 08:34 — Cedric Gray: Instincts, UNC Career, Injury Comeback & Love of Football
08:34 – 12:30 — Gray on Culture, Tackles, Family, Rivalries & Rapid-Fire Questions
12:30 – 16:12 — My Cause My Cleats Feature
17:27 – 18:39 — Introducing Jeffrey Simmons Interview & Thanksgiving Event Recap
18:39 – 25:26 — Jeffrey Simmons: Give Them a Reason Foundation & Youth Impact Work
25:26 – 28:21 — Mental Health, Community Outreach, Perspective & Holiday Message
28:21 – 30:33 — Jaguars Game Promo, Titans Countdown & Thanksgiving Sendoff

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