LISTEN: Saints linebacker Demario Davis says the team is building momentum in challenging season

Saints All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis discusses playing for a rebuilding team, maintaining a high level of play at age 36, his philanthropy work and more.

Various NFL Players: Hey, this is Russell Wilson. This is Joe Montana. This is Dak Prescott. Hey, this is Jason Kelce. You’re listening to Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi, Rob Maaddi, Rob Maaddi.

Rob Maaddi, host: Welcome to On Football with me, Rob Maaddi. We’re in week 12, and the Kansas City Chiefs are only 5-5 facing a must-win game against the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts, who are coming off the bye. That’s the game of the week, along with the Buccaneers Rams in LA. Not a great schedule after a loaded one last week. Saints linebacker Demario Davis is our guest. Stay tuned for a special conversation along with some Pro Picks.

Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut with the Cleveland Browns, and he struggled much to the delight of so many of his haters out there. But Shedeur was really in a difficult situation, almost an impossible spot, facing a Ravens team that had to win. He doesn’t take any reps in practice as a backup, started the year as a third-string quarterback, had to come in cold to play for the first time since preseason in August. That’s as tough as it gets. I’m not trying to make an excuse. It’s just reality. That was a very tough situation. Now, if Shedeur practices all week as the starter and Dylan Gabriel can’t play because of a concussion, it’s a much better opportunity to judge Shedeur going against an awful Raiders team.

MAADDI: Demario Davis has been a first- or second-team All-Pro linebacker four times. He’s still playing at a high level and he’s a man who does so much work in the community.

Demario, great to see you, man. Great to talk to you again. It’s been a challenging year for the Saints, but you guys are coming off a win. What’s it like for you to be part of — you’ve been part of some teams that are Super Bowl contenders, played deep into the playoffs. Now to be a part of a team that’s kind of on a rebuild. What’s that been like for you this year?

Demario Davis, Saints linebacker: It’s been interesting. My main thing is I was just focused on what’s in front of me and I get the opportunity to do that with some great guys, some great coaches and you can’t always control all the circumstances going on around you but you can control how you show up each and every day. A quote that was on my locker when I was in college was, “You learn a lot about a person on how they win but you learn even more about a person on how they lose,” and for me about how I show up each and every day. And even though it’s been, you know, a tough and challenging year, I think I’ve been able to keep the right perspective and continue to show up the right way. We were able to come off and build a little momentum with a win this past week. We hopefully can keep that going. But I’ve been able to have one of my best seasons to date and I think it’s just because of being able to show up with that right perspective. And I think when you can control that, you eventually, the rest will kind of come into your favor.

MAADDI: Yeah, tell me about that because 14 seasons, 36 years old and you’re playing at a high level at a position that’s so demanding, how are you able to do it?

DAVIS: I don’t think there’s like one thing that goes into it. I think there is a series of things that allow me to continue to do this. I think number one, when I came in, I was playing with a lot of veterans and I learned at an early age how to take care of my body, how to do the little things consistently. I’ve been blessed to build a great team around me and it’s year-round at this point. What our training, what our recovery looks like every single day. There’s a regimen and a process to it. I think I’ve been blessed to play with a lot of great coaches that have helped me learn and how to think about the game and so I’m not having to exert so much energy when I’m playing. Even though I’m paying every snap, I’m able to be in a very controlled and organized manner from a mental standpoint. And I think man, it still requires a lot just things that you can’t, you know, control. What people would call luck, I call blessings. I’ve been protected to not have sustained anything that has kept me out for extended periods of time. That just allows me to continue to play at a high level. I don’t think there’s a unique recipe for it. I think somebody could probably do all the things that I’m doing and not get that same results, but I’ve be very blessed and I’m very grateful to be where I am today in this game.

MAADDI: Have you thought about the future and what that looks like for you yet?

DAVIS: Not much. I’m kind of on the, I always tell people on a one-year contract with the Lord, when he says I’m done, I’m dead. So I just, I just take what’s in front of me. And this year, like I said, though it’s been challenging, from an external standpoint, for me, it’s been, it has been a blessing to be able to show up and still play this game at, at a high level. And at this point, I am on pace to have one of my best seasons. So it’s just a blessing in this. I just — one at a time.

MAADDI: You do a lot of work in the community, you do a ton of philanthropy and you’ve partnered with Stand Together. That’s your choice for the My Cause, My Cleats. What kind of attracted you about their mission and what they’re doing?

DAVIS: I get so excited when I talk about Stand Together. And this is such a partnership that’s so much worthy of praise because Stand Together is a philanthropic community that empowers change makers and leaders inside the communities that they’re in and help accelerate and scale the impact of the work they’re doing. It’s this mindset we have, we have a united mindset that that the best solutions come from bottom up, not top down. I think we live in a society where there’s a tendency to wait on top-down solutions, but the real way to create change is to go into the communities where the work is already happening and empower those solutions and those leaders and those social entrepreneurs to help them create change. And that’s what they’ve really done around our work with Devoted Dreamers and the communities that we work with. They’ve kind of saw our work and helped us. Scale our impact. And that’s what they do all throughout the country. And so with My Cause, My Cleats, I get to highlight a lot of the work that is happening nationally in over 600 communities with over 350 organizations that are doing some really great work in the communities that they live in and really just have this message to the nation that we’re in a time where it can feel like we’re very divided and you know, this. Kind of waiting for a change and when it’s going to come is to really just send the message that change is happening and it’s happening right now and it is happening in communities around you and really just calling people into the game and saying hey we need you, we need you in the communities that you’re in to identify change that can happen or if you are already doing that work, we want to know about you and how can we link arms and help expand it and accelerate that work.

MAADDI: What is your goal, what is your hope as far as your legacy, man? With everything that you’re doing, and I know you’ve got a long way to go and a whole lot more work to get done, but what would you like people to, when they, they hear your name, when I think about Demario Davis, obviously you’ve been an All-Pro linebacker on the field. You’ve been able to sustain success for over a decade and a half. But overall when your legacy, how would you, how would like to be viewed?

DAVIS: I would love to be viewed as a person that has motivated somebody to feel like they can change the world. That somebody looked at me and said, man, because of him, I felt like I could change the world because I felt I watched him and I heard him and felt like I could do the same thing. That’s what I would want to motivate because that’s all I want is to say, hey, just get in the game. We need you. You know, it’s somebody that surrounds you that you’re going to make a smile, that you can bring some kindness to, that you can help, that I can help. And just because you feel that way, that you can do something, you will.

MAADDI: It’s time to pick more winners. The four pack is 32-11-1 straight up, 28-15-1 against the spread. Another winning week last week. For my best bet, I’m going against the New York Giants again. Sorry, Jameis, the 2-9 Giants at Detroit. The Lions are 6-4. They’re 10 and a half point favorites. The Giants’ biggest highlight of the week will probably be Cam Skattebo and some of his teammates getting into it on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.” I don’t know what Cam was doing out there, fresh off surgery, a boot on his ankle, and shoving and pushing and all that stuff. Come on man. The Lions need to get back on track though after their offense was terrible in Philly. Jared Goff struggled against the Eagles, Dan Campbell was aggressive as usual, this time it bit him. He was 0 for 5 going for it on fourth down. But the Lions defense stood out. They held Philly to 16 points, they stopped the tush push five times, two were negated by penalty, three held up. They’ll be back home and back to winning, Lions 33-17. For my upset special, I’m looking at Kirk Cousins, the 3-7 Falcons on the road against the Saints who are 2-8. New Orleans is one and a half point favorites coming off a bye. Cousin is returning to the starting lineup with Michael Penix out. The Falcons are going nowhere at this point. It’s been a disappointing season. Raheem Morris is on the hot seat. All they have to do is give the ball to Bijan Robinson. That’s the best game plan. The Saints are rested. They’re looking for a second straight win behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Atlanta had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL before Bryce Young threw for 448 against them. They’ll bounce back, Falcons 22-20. Last two games have big point spreads. Seattle, 7-3 at Tennessee, 1-9 Titans. The Seahawks are 13-point favorites. Big game, Sam Darnold showed up against the Rams, threw four interceptions. Yet, the Seahawks still had a chance to win the game and Darnold drove them in position for a game-winning 61-yard field goal that was missed. Their defense was stellar against LA. Cam Ward and the Titans have the worst offense in the NFL, and they have no chance against Seattle. Seahawks, 27-6. Lastly, the New York Jets are 2-8, at Baltimore. The Ravens are back at .500 at 5-5. They’re 14-point favorites. They’ve won four in a row. Tyrod Taylor gets an opportunity for the Jets, who are already looking ahead to the draft after stockpiling all of those draft picks. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have not been all together yet and impressive. They’re just one game behind the Steelers, but they had to rally to come back against the Browns. They can’t look past the Jets, especially after last week’s performance. I don’t think they will. Ravens 34-10. That’s it for this week. Thank you to Demario Davis. Thank you for listening to On Football and thanks to Haya Panjwani and Guillermo Gonzalez for producing this episode. Please check out APNews.com for the full Pro Picks, On Football analysis and more NFL news.

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