I began doing this last season and folks seemed to like it, so it’s back!
Each week, I’ll go through the Eagles’ media guide to find one interesting nugget about a player and then chat with them about it.
This week’s is a fun one. Jordan Mailata’s desired talent: Swimming.
DZ: It says your desired talent is swimming. Can you swim?
Mailata: I can stay afloat. You notice the wording. I can stay afloat. I wish I could swim like (Michael) Phelps.
DZ: So you really want to learn how to swim?
JM: I really want to learn how to swim like Phelps, that kind of swimming. Nate Herbig probably sinks like a rock.
NFL
Herbig: Can you imagine him swimming? He can’t swim.
JM: I’ve got webbed toes and everyone thinks that I swim faster. They always automatically assume that I must be a good swimmer.
DZ: I’m gonna look now.
(Note: Not all of his toes, but some of them are indeed webbed.)
DZ: Oh, you do!
JM: There’s only so many talents that I have and swimming is not one of them, unfortunately.
DZ: I mean, you grew up on a big island (Australia).
JM: I know, it’s crazy. We grew up an hour and a bit from the sea. Really, it’s no excuse. We went to the beach a lot when I was a kid. We never went to the pool that much. But every time we went to the beach, my fear of … so I have this fear of if I can’t see what’s in the water. I don’t know why.
DZ: I think that’s a legitimate fear.
JM: I’m telling you. They would make fun of me. But when you step on a stingray or you step on something you’re not supposed to, then bye-bye, you’re dead. If I can’t see the water I’m in, I’m not going to be in there.
DZ: Now, you gotta get in the pool.
JM: Did you have eight bucks as a kid growing up? I didn’t.
DZ: Now you can get in the pool.
JM: Now I can get in the pool, but I’m trying to learn how to play football. There again, I ran into another wall in learning how to swim. I want to swim like Phelps though. Maybe I should tweet at Phelps, though, like, ‘hey, you got any tips for a guy who has webbed feet?’ I need to live up to that expectation of being a good swimmer.
DZ: Alright, man. Thank you.
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