EJ Speed: From D-II Underdog to Texans Linebacker on the NFL’s No. 1 Defense | No Audibles

EJ Speed: From D-II Underdog to Texans Linebacker on the NFL’s No. 1 Defense | No Audibles

This is Jonathan Joseph. Welcome to the No Audible podcast. My guest today is EJ Speed. We’re going in depth about his journey from division 2 to NFL linebacker playing on the number one defense and just talking about his journey itself. Coming up on No Audibles. All right, welcome to the No Aud. I got my man EJ Speed, host Jonathan Joseph here. What’s going on my man? We going to jump right into it, man. Let’s talk about your journey, man. you know, your Texas boy man having a chance, you know, come play in Houston, you know, just talk about that a little bit. So, uh, came up in Fort Worth, um, went to North Crowley, came out of North Crowley, went to, uh, Charlton State, was a D2 at the time. They D1 now. They actually just won a championship, but, uh, shout out them boys. So, um, yeah, I came out of Charlton, um, played linebacker on my last two years of college. um got drafted by the Colts fifth round um of 2019 draft, played six years with the Colts and um you know made some plays um started my last two special teams uh doing well special teams, my first four or whatever like that, you know what I mean? And then uh came here and um you know, De Mo gave me a chance to come here and be a part of this defense that was already a a powerhouse, you know, before I even got here. So I’m like, and the crazy thing is playing against them, I didn’t know the depth of like, you know what I mean? How many like steppers they do got that’s like not even um like household names like like DB and Tim Settle and Mario and stuff like that, bro? I told them when I pulled up like I ain’t never had a Dline like this, bro. Like y’all boys insane. But uh personalitywise too, them boys just they they they they savages, bro. Like Tim, he he get hyped up about every game. You feel what I’m saying? And so like my journey here in Houston been a little different just because I didn’t got to be around different personalities of being in the same locker room in six years. You know what I mean? So um it’s been good brother for sure. He talked you know hey you fly around the field and lay your hat around too man. But where did that come from? Because you wasn’t always a defensive player. Uh it’s just growing up we played a brand of smashmouth football even in little league. You feel what I’m saying? We bit when we was little. So um it was just something I carried just through. I always love contact. Um it’s crazy. Uh my brother, of course, most people know who know me, my brother passed away of lymphoma cancer uh my senior year of high school. And um and like before every um season of little league, my dad would make us like um do you know the drill where you lay on your back, blow us up. You feel what I’m saying? So it’s like we already know, we already know what’s on the line when we pull up, you know what I mean? First first practice. So it’s like, you know, that physicality and stuff like that. Like we used to breed each other on that. You know how it is back in the day. You playing little league. It was $20 for the biggest hits. You feel what I’m saying? So like you got bound. Yeah. You know what you can do? $20 stretch. You feel me? So like, you feel me? We was man that trying to get that 20. So you know, I still carry them them same ways when I go play football. It’s like, man, I try to like, you know, I try to try to make it where running backs and receivers and stuff feel like it ain’t safe outside to be coming out here. You know what I mean? playing and that uh take a step back or whatever they you know what I mean? You might run into a dog that just four quarters won’t hit but like it ain’t gonna be too many of them. Yeah, it’s rarely. It’s rarely. You know what I’m saying? So like especially when you got all 11 guys that’s on that same thing. It’s it’s a little different. That’s what we got here. It’s no surprise that you know you’re the number one defense in the league. You know I feel you man. And just talk about you know you saying Tarleton was a division 2 school. now y’all bumped up, you know, D1 and things like that, but just hearing your name call and being drafted and I’m sure, you know, you’re a living legend back there. You know, guys that’s there want to probably follow in your footsteps. So, talk about, you know, hearing your name called on draft day, getting drafted to the Colts. Obviously, that’s a rivalry here. They playing well and it’s going to come down to, you know, probably the end, you know, between, you know, here and the Colts. Yeah. So, um, man, that draft day was surreal, bro. Like it was like uh it’s crazy cuz like like I said losing my brother everything that we promised like you know what I mean it came to fluential that day it was just like man we want to make it to the league. That’s all we talked about growing up. That’s all we was we ever worked towards. So it’s like we got that call you know um my pops and seeing my mom and how excited they was, how happy they was. They shed tears. I ain’t really shed tears but um it was just you know it was surreal. It was I was grateful for the situation. You feel what I’m saying? But it’s crazy because like once you start looking at everything to to to like um in a wider spectrum of view or whatever like that, you start to notice it was a lot of people drafted before you. You see what I’m saying? So it’s like now like once that excitement wore off, you got a chip on your shoulder like man, I want to prove to them that, you know, I’m that guy or whatever like that. So, um, yeah, I a I ain’t I I wasn’t really a big fan of, uh, worrying the number of linebackers drafted before me and all that type stuff, but it was like a chip on your shoulder to come in and prove. So, when I came into the Colts, man, I just wanted to prove myself like that whole time. And I came in with some great um with some great veterans like, you know, uh, when I got there already, Zire Franklin was there, um, Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker, you feel what I’m saying? and uh Bobby O Car, we both got drafted together. Start a linebacker in uh New York. We both got drafted together. So, it was a room full of people that was already about their business. Shout out Matt Adams, too. So, it was a room full of people that was already about their business and doing their thing. All I had to do was just jump in and put my best foot forward. So, you know, with that being said, you coming over here and you switching over here to end division rivalry, you know, but now you get a much bigger role than what you had there. Yeah, you know, you’re on the number one defense in the league. You know, high expectations and when you hit the field, you know, everybody all eyes on you guys now because it’s the talk of the town. It’s the talk of the league. You have everyone’s attention. Just talk about, like you said, it’s the steppers over here. But just talk about that linebacker quarter that you get to play with each and every day. You know, y’all have some talent in that room also. Yeah, it’s crazy cuz it’s uh it’s it’s kind of it reminds me of the linebacking quarter that I came up with. Um, Henry, Christian, Aziz, you know, Jake, uh, even a Rook Woodard, like, you feel what I’m saying? He like, when y’all get to see him and he get to go do his thing, y’all gonna see just how much, uh, that linebacking core is really about their business. Like, it’s, uh, it’s no shortcomings in that linebacker room. Like, everybody is so detailed and everything like that. And that’s a shout out to me. I was just telling a teammate the other day, like, I’ve never been around a coach who can hold the standard like De Mo can. No matter what it is, no matter if you high, low, you on a four game win streak, whether if you lose three, it’s like the same guy, you know what I mean? And he’s not afraid to, you know, call out anybody or any like, you know what I mean? It’s not even the household names as we said. Like those, they’re so humble under Meek because it’s like, all right, I got to holl at you if you doing something that you know that’s hindering the team or if you not putting your best foot forward. And even when you are, I’mma hype you up. You feel what I’m saying? I’mma make sure that everybody know that, too. So, um, that’s standard and everything, man. is is it’s is is in that linebacking core. It was insane. It’s something that I could fit straight into. It’s funny that you say that with De Mo cuz I played with Demo. You know, I came here as a free agent and it didn’t matter if he was a player or whoever, he was going to call you out. You know, you know, when he hit the room, you know, everybody can hear a little chatter go down cuz it’s serious now that he’s in the room. So, you know, with that being said, man, it’s like I’m a fan. You know, I get to watch I get to watch you guys and come in here being a free agent. Obviously, you know, get, you know, some old nice money in your pocket, but you’re close to home. So, just talk about being close to home just with the expectations, just with family being close by, being able to come and watch you. Um, you know, just wearing that household name like you said with your brother and just representing all that. No, facts. That’s um that’s a big thing of of of the move to Texas. Uh being up in Indie, you know, you 13 hour drive, you know, flight or whatever like that is it’s like, you know, my people got to work, you know what I mean? So, it’s like I didn’t get to be a part of um just simple things like just like a few weeks ago I went to my uh to my niece’s soccer game. Like those are things that like I didn’t get to do being up in Indie, you know, six hours away. So, it was just like it was just it was it was like stuff like that is stuff that I can cherish now and it made me feel better. You know, once you stuff like that, you can mentally clear your mind or whatever like that from the game at some point. Sometimes you got to like, you know, reset and whatever like that. So having your family that close to where you can reset and just be around family and feel loved and joke and play like the old days or whatever like that, that’s the thing. You know how how you mean you played. You know how like you got to be like you got to give so much to the game. You know what I mean? But when your family right there, they can pull you back a little bit and just be like, you know what, you got some time off or by week or whatever, you can go to mama house and have a meal. That’s love. So, you know what I mean? That’s uh that’s been a big thing about being here and being close to my family that I’ve been cherishing for sure. And the city don’t close down at 10:00, man. You’ve been everybody been I played in Cincinnati for 5 years. So, you know, we move there twice a year. I mean, you know, once or twice a year in the preseason, then back up there again, man. So, it’s it’s it’s a pleasure to have you on. Just talk about, you know, obviously it sounds like you’re big on family. Just talk about, you know, your time. Obviously, we don’t want to talk about the coach much, but you know, that was your first blessing into the NFL. So just being welcome in that locker room, you know, what guys made you feel home in that locker room and what guys, you know, took you under their wing when you was there. You talk about it a lot, you know, Leonard and all those guys, but naturally just coming into shoes to feel what guys made you feel like, okay, I belong in this league when you first got into the league. Uh just guys like um that were challenging actually. Uh shout out Nahhem Hams. Uh we was going back and forth every day in practice. Of course, it was a speed change and you know how Nah get. So it was like, you know, it was days where he was beating me and it was and then and then I slowly started winning, you know what I mean? And those was the the the like the the turnover and confidence that I gained just going to practice and competing against him. Every time we did running back one-on- ones, I wanted to go against Naim like, you know what I mean? You got to go against I had Jack Doyle, you know, as a tight end my early, you know what I mean? So I’m doing scout team and I’m like, I’m lined up from Jack Doyle, you know, I’m give it my all. I’mma go at, you know, go at him. And then um they Quinton Nelson and Nasty you got Q you got Q Nellyly like it was like when I was I wasn’t taking scout team lightly. I was in that dream like it was game day you know what I mean? Even though I was just playing special teams on Sunday and then um those like I said those same guys that held that standard and around there the standard was high you know what I mean? Like uh Ballard did a good job of bringing guys in who was standup guys who was really about their business. So um shout out Kenny. Kenny was a veteran that when I got there, he always, you know, would it wasn’t it wasn’t like a a friendly situation like it wasn’t like, “All right, we here to be friends or whatever like that, brother. We here to get a job done.” So, it always been like that in that locker room and um when we stepped on that field. So, the Colts um actually, you know, they I was brought up there, you know what I mean? anything you see, you feel what I’m saying, out of me, I’ll be a fool and a and a lie to say that, you know, I didn’t gain these attributes or whatever like that from playing in Indie, you know what I mean? We was putting our best foot forward to go out there and do everything we need to do every day, every every game, every practice and everything like that. So, you know, it just carry over. And that probably, you know, when I watch you play, you know, obviously a lot of guys once they get all those defensive reps, they don’t want to go out there on special teams no more. They don’t. when I watch you play, you know, you all in whatever they need from you, you go out there and do it. Just talk about coming over from that same type of locker room and coming into a locker room like this. You know, now you kind of considered a veteran a little bit in this locker room. You know, you’re not the young guy, but I’m sure when you got in this locker room, who were some of the guys just welcomed you in, you know, just from teammates or just made you feel at home here in Houston now with you coming from the coach? Uh, so we had a few guys. Uh, of course, I had always I communicated with Jaylen and um and Aziz and everything through Instagram or whatever like that. just being in, you know, I knew CJ when he was coming out of um Ohio State because he was signed to the same agency and stuff like that. So, we didn’t link a few times over the summer just being with the agency and um and me playing against these guys, you feel what I’m saying? It was kind of like now I’m just in the now I’m just here with them like you know what I mean? I played against them for six years or whatever like that for whoever was here. um and had my trash talk battles and stuff like that and you know um but just coming in the lock the locker room was it was a work at the locker room so you feel me I fed in through there then like I said like I think I said this in plenty of other interviews when I first got here it was just me proving myself to the guys like you know what I mean it wasn’t it wasn’t about a coach it wasn’t about anything like that it was just all let me get in this locker room and prove you know that I’m here to to to be to uphold a standard that they had already set like how I said like I’ve been watching the defense. The defense was already nice before I got here. You feel what I’m saying? They had I think last year they was like number two or whatever like that. So it wasn’t like I was brought in to be a savior or a hero or something like that. Like you know he was brought in to do a job and I I came in you know what I mean? I just wanted to prove myself to the guys. So rather I needed to jump on special teams and do that or whatever. And the ultimate like they said when we first got here the ultimate uh goal was to get a championship, you know, put a bull on the ring. So, it’s just like, man, if that’s the goal, I’mma buy in and do whatever we need to do to get that job done. For sure, it’s a fulfilling feeling, man. You know, I came here as a free agent just like you, man. And, you know, when I came here, I was asked, you know, to take on leadership role and things like that. So, just talk about the preparation that goes into that the offseason or just, you know, your daily study habits or just whatever it goes into to keep yourself playing at that level, just to keep your mentality right when you’re on the field. just, you know, everything it goes into to make a professional player, but at the same time, a guy that’s all in, a guy that’s playing at a top high level. Yeah. So, what it like, man, just to go out there and prepare. So, really, man, I tell anybody, you know, it’s uh you prepare, how you going to prepare for a game. Everybody got their different techniques or everything that they compare, but uh as a person in this world, like um outside of even the game, you got to be servant. Like, you feel what I’m saying? Once you stop being servant and you think that somebody owe you something or something is going to be given to you, then you just start to go downhill. So, you feel what I’m saying? You got to find something to be serving to, you know what I mean? Um, I mean, the Lord first and then, you know, when it comes to the game, you got to you got to serve like, you know what I mean? Like how I said, like come in, you prove yourself. You don’t expect nobody to hand you nothing. So, like, you know what I mean? So, um, that’s always been the thing. It’s, you know, how this league, it’s a what have you done for me lately league, you know what I mean? It’s not something that you can just turn on and off and you know what I mean and and go around and just be like, “Oh, but I did this last week.” Yeah, it was last week, dog. You got to prove it again. You feel what I’m saying? We got game Sunday. Like it ain’t nothing. So it just like So that’s how I always looked at it. It’s like I always want to come in and, you know, be humble enough to be a servant. So like I can see past like what I’ve done or and see see to what we need to do cuz you know how it is in the league. Every week is a new obstacle depending on who you playing, your situation, like you know what I mean? So, um, so yeah, that’s my preparation mentally for sure. Gotcha. So, you know, just saying humble like what was your humbling experience like? Who welcomed you to the NFL? Welcome to the NFL, man. I like how I said it was Nah. Nah, he welcomed me to the NFL. My I had a little bit of him on my back end. He got some juice. Yeah. So it was just like, bro, I’m telling you, he was cooking me for like, and I don’t even tell people stuff like like, brother, like it’s exclusive. You hear me? But I really cook na right now, though, so he don’t But like I’m saying like it’s um he was he was winning reps like like all one-on-one reps. I’m like, bro, it’s no way he so you know. And then Matt Efflu, I mean, if anybody played for Matt Even Fluence, they know how it go. Like he a strict coach. He going, you know what I mean? It’s not no pat on the backs or whatever like that. is is get it done. Get it like you know what I mean? D. So those was humbling experiences in my my time in the league. I’m like bro he fast like I mean I’m fast too but you going to have to use a little technique. You can’t just be fast with bro. So that was my humbling experience to really like hone in on my skills for real. And with your growth through injuries everything you know adversity and all that you know at the end of the day we all have a legacy. We all have something that we want to leave leave behind or something that we want to be remembered by. What you want your end story to be? Uh, I just want the teammates that I played with to just say that, you know, like he was a servant. He played hard and, um, he was humble. He was a humble guy that can that I can trust to go out there on Sunday and just have my back, man. And other than that, I do want a Super Bowl ring before this is over with. I got to get a Super Bowl ring. I got to go home, you know what I mean, before I retire and just have something to look at that I feel like is special because, you know, I got a lot of stuff in the league. Uh, player of the weeks. um um game ball, stuff like that. You know what I mean? But the biggest thing for me is just going to a championship and winning that with a group of guys and just carrying that brotherhood on through our life. Well, man, you know, me being a former player, being a fan, you know, being here, obviously having you on the No Automals podcast, man, it’s a pleasure to have you on, man. It’s a great thing to watch you each and every week to go out there, man. What you bring to the field, you know, your tenacity and all that, man. It goes without being said. So man, I’m glad to have you part of this podcast, man. And you know, I’m going let you go and get out of here and get back to your day, man. It’s a pleasure to have you on. Appreciate it, dog. Y love [Music] doing it.

On this episode of No Audibles, Texans Legend Johnathan Joseph sits down with linebacker EJ Speed for a raw, honest look at what it takes to go from Division II Tarleton State to starting on the NFL’s No. 1 defense in Houston.

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