Speaker 1: All right, if you need a reason to root for
the Philadelphia Eagles a little harder than the Kansas City
Chiefs on Sunday, our next guest is gonna be the
reason why. He is a fight in Texas Aggie Si
fair Kid and is the starting punter for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Braidon Man is with us here on the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross Braidon. It's Matt and Ross. Thank you
so much for joining us. How crazy is New Orleans
right now?
Speaker 2: Hey guys, Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3: It's it's you know, it's already crazy and we're still
like six days and five days away from the game,
so I can't imagine what it's gonna be.
Speaker 2: Like the rest of the week.
Speaker 1: All Right, we're gonna fanboy with you for a few
minutes because you get to take us through parts of
your world that you don't that we don't get to
be a part of. First of all, what's the plane
ride like you guys got into New Orleans a couple
of days ago. Is everybody kind of cerebral or as
a party atmosphere already?
Speaker 2: No, it's definitely not a party on the sphere.
Speaker 3: Some guys are a little more quiet or like get really,
I don't know, into the music on the way there
or some guys play cards.
Speaker 2: So it's just kind of a relaxed environment.
Speaker 3: Definitely saving the party environment for hopefully the way back
after after the game was Sunday.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Hey, let me ask you, this is it okay?
If I call you the second greatest punter in A
and M history, is that alright with you?
Speaker 2: That's that's an honor.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I know who you're talking about in fund me
and that is that is an honor to even be
behind him?
Speaker 1: Did you now you had a I was talking to
your dad the other day. You have a soccer background,
but you were just as much about football as you
were anything else, correct.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, Yeah. I played linebacker like my whole life.
Speaker 1: So and I was looking at some of your highlights
at A and M and then obviously a couple of
teams in the NFL. What was it like settling in Philadelphia?
And more importantly, tell me how awful it can be
with that field when it's like twenty three degrees, there's sleep,
it's a frozen field. I mean, how much longer does
it take you to get prepared for that? As compared
to say, a normal like a seventy degree day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely a little different.
Speaker 3: I mean, growing up in Houston was uh know how
spoiled I was for the weather until I left and
went to New York at first, and then Philly And
ever since I settled out in Philly for the last
couple of years, it's been awesome. I've loved it there.
It's been great. The weather is still, you know, not
kind to us. And we had that snow game in
the playoffs this year against ram so that was a
bunch of fun. Hard to get used to, but it was.
It was really cool to be part of that game.
Speaker 1: So, as a Philly resident, does the fan base do
they you know, like they love you when things are
going well, and they'll buy your meals and then they
will make you they'll charge you double when you lose.
I mean, is it as passionate as a city as
we think it is?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it is as passionate as as one can get
in the fan base. I mean I've been pretty used
to that, Like, you know, the A and M fan
base is passion just like it. So it's it's been
really cool and they they're so into the games.
Speaker 2: What makes the environment there so cool?
Speaker 3: I mean I've played at Philly, not playing for Philly before,
and the environment was so cool just to be there.
It's kind of like when you go play, you know,
an SEC game somewhere else. It's just everyone's so into it,
and the culture there on the with the fans and
the team is really awesome.
Speaker 1: Brighton man with us here on the Matt Thomas Show
of Rosses. He's joining us from New Orleans. So you
hear about the Eagles in the offseason and you hear that, Uh,
Saquon Barkley is now a teammate. What was that like
here in the news of that and obviously getting to
know him a little bit, and more importantly the way
he has dominated your team's offense this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he is. Uh, He's truly incredible. He has been.
He's been Austin since day one. He's gotten here.
Speaker 3: I think he's signed or they agreed to terms the
day after.
Speaker 2: I agree to the terms.
Speaker 3: Uh, it's my deal, my new extension. So it was, Uh,
it was cool. Cool couple of days and I was like,
I don't know how we how we got Saquon. I
don't know how the giants of them come to us,
but you know, we'll take it. And he's obviously just
been an incredible weapon all year, and you know, the
offense kind of runs through him, and it's it's been
cool to watch him have the historic season he's had.
Speaker 1: Do you and Jalen Hurts talk about Houston at all?
Or is it just all about Philly life now that
you're Eagles.
Speaker 2: No, Yeah, we'll.
Speaker 3: Definitely talk about Houston a little bit. We grew up
on a kind of different Houston, so a little bit
different there. But we know, you know, quite a few
of the same people and have played, you know, a
few of the same teams. So he's he's probably two
or three lockers down for me in the locker room
at in Philly. So, uh, you know, every now and
then we'll talk about Houston stuff, or you know, if
we go down in Texas for a game, we'll talk
about places eat and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: How was the last couple of days of media attention?
Any strange questions? Aren't at you or anything like that?
Speaker 3: Oh strange quest Yeah, there was a bunch of just
like fun questions. I think I didn't get any of
like the really weird ones that I was trying to
get a a funny clip of the punter usually, so
I didn't get any of the crazy questions. But yeah,
just a bunch of fun stuff. I mean, you know,
just some random ones like what's the best gatorade color?
And you know, all kinds of just weird, funky stuff.
Speaker 1: So what is the best Gatoray color? I'm assuming it's
got to be green, right.
Speaker 2: I don't think I've had I actually was told the
green one was really good. I think it's the purple
rip Tide Rush. But they said red. Now I'm like,
I've never had some allergic to its.
Speaker 3: I just didn't even know that was that red is
even good at all?
Speaker 1: Wow, that's crazy. Braidon man with us here on the
Matt Thomas should Rossi's the punter for the Eagles and
will be on the field when you found out you're
going to the super Bowl. That's cool, but I have
to do it indoors. How much luck is easy is
your life? And that could be for any special team
from there, But just tell me about the differences in
your preparation when you have to worry about a fifteen
to twenty mile per hour swirling wind.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's the prep.
Speaker 3: Doesn't changed about the week really sides, you know, just
knowing that I won't have to deal with the elements
it is. It probably gives me a few hours, but
I actually have sleep tonight before for sure.
Speaker 2: I love playing indoors. It's awesome. I played at the.
Speaker 3: At the Samet's Place this year for the first time
and it's a really cool state in being slide.
Speaker 2: I'm pumped for it.
Speaker 4: H Ross with you in here in Houston as well,
Brandon in And it's funny. Can you just kind of
give us a window into life as a punter to
where if your name isn't a headline tomorrow, that means
you've done something very bad. Like you can do your
job perfectly one hundred times in a row, but that
one time there's something goes wrong. That's kind of when
your name pops up.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's kind of a funny job to have
because if I'm on the field, something went wrong, and
that's a pretty funny way of looking at it.
Speaker 2: You know, if I'm coming.
Speaker 3: On the field, the opposing fans are either cheering for
me or you know, our fans aren't too happy with
the team. So, uh yeah, it's an interesting spot to
be in for sure, But you know, it's what's going
out there.
Speaker 2: It's not really about trying to not mess it up.
Speaker 3: It's just like what can I do to you know,
hopefully make a big play and kind of swing the
momentum a little bit.
Speaker 2: If we're on fourth down and we can.
Speaker 3: Have a big play on punt team, that is kind
of a swing momentum.
Speaker 2: So it's fun to have that challenge.
Speaker 4: For sure, and to keep like punts consistently. Is there
what do you what is the way that you do
that is there? Like is there like a song you
singing to yourself or like a one two three?
Speaker 2: This?
Speaker 4: Like what is there something that you do to try
to kind of trick your mind into being consistent.
Speaker 3: I just I honestly just punt all the time and
try to keep it a relaxed environment. I punt probably
more than I would recommend anybody else. I just can't
like stop, you know, trying to, like you said, be
consistent with it. So but I try to keep it
a relaxed environment when I'm practicing, and just you know, yeah,
I'll listen to a bunch of music and just have
fun with it and hopefully that transfers to the game
so that when it's in the game, I'm hopefully in
my mind in the same relax environment that I am
in practice.
Speaker 1: Uh, bringing good. Two last questions for you, how often
do you have the conversation with Nick Sirianni about, Dude,
I can throw the football, Let's go give me one
to give me a shot.
Speaker 2: You know, I don't bring it up too much. He
I think he saw it. I threw one when I
was with the Jets.
Speaker 3: Said last year they let me throw one against the Cowboys,
which was fun at their place.
Speaker 2: That was all week.
Speaker 3: He was like, we want to run this, and I
was like, hey, you already know you know, if you
give me the green light, I'll do it. So we
had some fun with that one last year.
Speaker 2: For sure.
Speaker 3: I don't know if I'm getting it in with the
quarterbacks and really letting it loose, but I'll, uh, you know,
just throw some balls around for some fun.
Speaker 1: Seriously, if you could throw a pass and a fake
punt in the Super Bowl, you would be a legendary status.
You understand this, correct?
Speaker 2: That would be sweet? Yeah, now you know I'm not
going to count that. Hey, maybe if.
Speaker 1: You throw a pick six, you're doomed for the rest
of your life. So I just want to make sure
there's there's a both ends of the spectrum on.
Speaker 2: That, right, Yeah, no doubt. You know you either gonna
be a hero or a villain for sure.
Speaker 1: All right, So last thing, how many tickets do you get?
I know mom and dad are coming, which is cool.
Is there a fight for extra tickets? How how does
it work with and you and your teammates. Did you
guys are trying to get your family and friends and
girls all in the stadium?
Speaker 3: Yes, I mean some guys. I know one of the
guys from the Chiefs, I think he bought thirty tickets
for his family and friends. So that's that was why
that's the most I've heard of feel bhying for it.
I mean, I'm sure some guys that are just an
extraordinary amount. Yeah, I got my my parents, my wife
Kylie's coming, and then my sister and brother in law,
and then my wife's parents too are coming, so it'll
be them seven there. It'll be a bunch of fun
for them. And they're kind of coming up for a
few days and hopefully enjoying the festific.
Speaker 1: And when do you get to see them and when
do they like basically close down the operation, and I
guess you guys will probably change hotels. It'll be like
a kind of a super secret message the last twenty
four hours.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll get see him a couple of days before
we have some events. You know that families can come
to with us, so that'll be fun just to hang
with them. And then you know, like you said, twenty
four hour to four ish is kind of when we
all just go back to our normal rhythm of a
of a game.
Speaker 1: Hey brain, we'll let you run. Thank you so much
for joining us. First of all, congratulates we'll get a
Houston kid in the super Bowl you and you know
I don't want Jalen getting all the Houston love. It's
got to be you too. So you're gonna get some
this week from us for sure, and we wish you
toiate it. Thank you, and uh again, I've got to
know your folks a lot. Your dance. It's next to
me at Rockets games and is a great friend on
the on the stats crew, and so it's a great
opportunity to see him. How PROUDY is of you and
your family and your mom's been a volleyball coach for
a long time, and I know her be through my daughter,
my daughter's volleyball career, So it's kind of a little
six degrees between us, and so we wish you and
your entire family a great time in New Orleans.
Speaker 2: Awesome. Thanks so much for having me on. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: You got it all right. It's a braidon man joining
us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. Thank
you very much for Brandon joining us. The starting punter
for the Philadelphia Eagles,