The fifth edition of the Post Game Newsletter features former NFL Quarterback and San Jose State legend, David Fales, on Episode 80 of the podcast.
David holds the San Jose State records for career passing yards, career passing TDs, career completions, most career total yards, several single season records, and the single game passing yards record with 547 in a 62-52 win over Derek Carr’s Fresno State Bulldogs in 2013.
David was a journeyman. His career spanned across seven seasons with the Bears, Dolphins, and Jets (with shorter stints in Baltimore and Detroit), primarily serving as a backup to names like Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the episode:
His experience with the mental game, Mind Gym:
During the lowest points of his college career and after transferring out of Nevada to a JUCO, he didn’t know if he’d even make it back to the D1 level. He said he came across Gary Mack’s book Mind Gym, which sparked him to start using techniques like visualization that he’d practice during the week leading up to games:
“I go through this process where I close my eyes, see the play, see the defense. I'm going through one, two, three, see it, feel the touchdown, you feel the grass, like you kind of put yourself in there and in the situation and it’s like your mind can't tell the difference between whether it's your visualization or reality.”
The Hidden Anxiety of Journeyman NFL Quarterbacks
He talked about the realities of bouncing around from practice squad to 53-man roster, never having a two-year guaranteed contract, and the uncertainty of 4pm every Tuesday - finding out he’s either on the 53-man roster or headed back to the practice squad.
He said he was a high anxiety guy during the week and was driven by the fear of not wanting to let his teammates down. Come game day, he could flip a switch, go through visualization, and perform at an insanely high level.
What Happens When 'David Fales the Quarterback' Becomes Just 'David Fales’
He was pretty transparent about still being a work in progress after hanging up the cleats a few years ago. He acknowledged that being the “high anxiety” guy that could flip the switch on gamedays, doesn’t always translate well to life after the game. He’s gotten into the tech sales world, dabbled in real estate, and talks about how his involvement with Pro Athlete Community has given him the feeling of being back in the locker room.
“Just figuring out what motivates me. Why am I gonna work out? Why am I gonna eat clean? Why do anything? I didn't have answers to a lot of those questions outside of for my kids, but I was such a driven person and externally motivated from the attention that you get with football and me being David Fales, the quarterback, and then all of sudden it's like, oh, this is David Fales, and no longer the quarterback.”
Check out the Full Episode Below:
45 Miles on the Appalachian Trail
This experience may be deserving of a full PGP newsletter breakdown in the future, but a spark notes version was necessary to include here.
Over Labor Day, we (I) lost our minds and decided to cover 45 miles in 2 days from Pen Mar Park, MD down to Harper’s Ferry, WV. Shoutout to Prendy and MM for making the trek.
Official Trip Statistics:
45.69 miles covered (unofficially)
6,066 feet of elevation gained
16 hours of moving time, somehow on the dot, according to my Strava (+ many breaks in between)
6 Total PB&Js crushed
Potentially 200 Lifesaver gummies eaten
1 large blister on an unnamed hiker’s foot
3 IPAs consumed upon limping into Harper’s Ferry
1 Full state of the Appalachian Trail covered (Maryland)
We may have taken Peter Mallouk’s advice below to Go on the hike to the extreme.
Overall, this was one of the cooler / memorable / painful experiences in recent memory that I will absolutely be doing again (probably without doing 30 miles in one day). Next year’s planning committee will get together soon to arrange the Smokies portion of the App Trail.
Nick Foles on Failure and Social Media
I’ve been watching some of Nick Foles podcast he co-hosts called No Days Off and was reminded of this clip from the press conference he did right after the Super Bowl win in 2018. Talking about embracing failure and how social media is just a highlight reel.
People doing cool Things
A dude I played with in the Delco League back in the day, Ed Speakman, reached out after coming across the pod recently. The past few years, he’s been building a coffee company out of his basement with his wife, Our Grounds Coffee. Go check out what he’s building in Delco, the medium roast is quality mud!
Some Upcoming PGP Episodes:
9/10: Matt Hochberg - Founder of Hochberg Sports Marketing, an award-winning, full-service, and FIFA-certified women’s soccer agency
9/17: James Grugan - Founder of Five Star Hiring. He’s bridging the gap between elite student-athletes and top tier-employers in the Philly area.
9/24: Jay Yang - Author of You Can Just Do Things. He’s currently producing content for Alex and Leila Hormozi .
Appreciate you reading and for the support! We will keep plugging away…
See you next week,
Joe