Taylor Heinike, Washington Commanders' Quarterback

In this episode, Willy welcomes Taylor Heinicke. He is the quarterback of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. Previously playing college football at Old Dominion University (ODU), he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and the St Louis Battle Hawks of the XFL. The Walker Webcast begins with Taylor reminiscing about his early start at ODU, receiving the offer during his senior year, and committing to it immediately. He attributes his confidence and tenacity to his parents. Starting out disliking football, he gave it a chance and fell in love with the sport. He explains that back then, people associated football with South Georgia, and as someone from the North and of smaller stature, it became a chip on his shoulder and proved his talent and skills. He describes playing in high school and college as not having much difference, but only when moving up levels are the players much stronger and smarter. It pushes him “to be good all the time, not just some of the time”. He retells his comeback as a “bizarre game” but “was a lot of fun” as he threw for 730 yards, five touchdowns, ran for another 60, and another touchdown. His collegiate injuries included a concussion and an AC joint separation, but he never missed any games in his career. In his mind, he believed he had to “grind through it”. He mentions coach Scott Turner of Minnesota as someone who showed interest in him early on, keeping him on the team. Taylor retells meeting Tom Brady during his stint with the Patriots. “He’s already in there with a coffee in his hand,” Taylor says, “I got to kind of pick his brain and be around him… which was a really cool experience.” Debuting in the NFL on Christmas Day was a surprise for Taylor as he was thrown into the team after T.J. Yates’ injury. He describes his feelings while playing on national television as an “Oh my God moment” but also blacking out and then getting into a state of focus. Despite a concussion, he moved to the Carolina Panthers, seeing it as “a second start,” where he learned from his previous mistakes and improved on them. COVID-19 halted most of Taylor’s activities, but he still continued to train in hopes of receiving a call. In terms of signing contracts, when presented with one from the Redskins, Taylor would ensure terms were guaranteed, and his hard work would not go to waste. However, he would not base his excellent performance on bonuses and incentives alone.

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