Overcoming the pressure to perform in the NFL | Ekeler’s Edge
Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and Yahoo Sports’ Fantasy Analyst Matt Harmon discuss the Bolts 27-20 loss to the Raiders, the pressure to perform in the NFL and how Austin overcomes a loss. Catch fresh episodes of Ekeler’s Edge every Wednesday on Yahoo Sports and your favorite social media platforms. Listen to Ekeler’s Edge on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast wherever you get podcasts.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
AUSTIN EKELER: I feel that hole in my soul feeling when I lose and let people down, even myself. I'm in a scenario where I invite that pressure. Like, I need that pressure. I want that pressure.
Even though it sucks, absolutely sucks, but I feel like that also makes me better. Like, I like that it lingers with me because that's more motivation for me for the next opportunity that I get.
MATT HARMON: Let's talk the game last week. Raiders 27, Chargers 20.
AUSTIN EKELER: Yeah, unfortunately, we came up short again this week, but hey, I'm looking forward to another opportunity. We still have everything in front of us. We need some help, but we can help ourselves first and getting some wins. Their star players have been showing up and making plays for them, and that's basically I think why we lost the game. They made more big plays than we did.
They were more consistent in the running game than we did, than we were. Which over time of the game, it wears you down and basically limits your opportunities. And so they definitely outplayed us that game, straight up. And that's the NFL, man.
When we come out of a game like that, man, like it's really hard to describe like my feeling. Like, I feel like there's like a hole inside of me, you know, especially if I don't play as well as I want to. Like, I fumbled the ball coming out of halftime, terrible. I dropped the touchdown pass that would have been incredible if I had made it in the first quarter.
I had a missed protection too that really sticks out to me. So when I have those missed assignments that I know I can make those plays, it's just like, man, like, I just-- I just feel like I let the whole organization down. Because when I run the ball, I'm not just running the ball for myself. I'm running it for my teammates, for my coaches, for all of our job security.
But then it goes above that too for all the organization, right? Our owners, our GM, right? Everyone that's put us in this place to actually go out there and do this. And then all the fans too that are in the stadium, all the fans that are watching. And then it goes out to the fantasy fans as well.
So everyone is relying on me to perform well with this ball in my hands. And so that's why I, like, when I don't play to the standard I feel like I should be playing at, man, it has this huge weight on my body and on my mind. It's one of the things about the NFL that you kind of get forced into. You have to be mentally tough because if you're not, it's going to be-- it's going to be tough on you.
MATT HARMON: Seriously, I mean, all that pressure you just ran down, that-- not everybody can handle that, right? And I mean, no. Not everybody can handle that. I'm sure you've seen guys who can't handle it.
AUSTIN EKELER: I'm in a scenario where I invite that pressure. Like, I need that pressure. I want that pressure. Even though it sucks, absolutely sucks, and like I said, I feel that hole in my soul feeling when I lose and let people down, even myself. But I feel like that also makes me better because now I know I have to come back.
Like, I put so much pressure on myself to be better the next time. And even though, yeah, it definitely still lingers with me, but I need that. Like, I like that it lingers with me because that's more motivation for me for the next opportunity that I get.
MATT HARMON: Yeah, I was going to ask you, like, when-- because we're here on Tuesday morning. Obviously, the game feels like forever ago, but it was just a couple of days ago. And you've got another one coming up, another big game on Sunday night. When's the time of the week that you sort of, OK, put last week to bed and then move forward to next week, or does it not really happen like that?
AUSTIN EKELER: You try to. It lingers, man, though. Like, the losses, the losses linger. The wins that feel like that's what you expect. You expect to win. So when you win, I feel like those, you move on from those a little quicker. But when you lose, for me, maybe this is me personally, it lingers a little bit longer.
Systematically like with our installs and stuff, it's put away after Monday. We've watched the film, all right, move on. We're on to Miami. But as humans with emotions, like, that's not how stuff works, right? And as competitors that we want to be the best, and if we know we didn't play to the standard that we expected, that has effect on you.
And it really comes down to I think being around your teammates helps you get over that, right? Being around that support group, the guys that we went through and being around the guys and getting out on practice on Wednesday and moving on I feel like is when it really, I guess, leaves my mind as far as like, OK, we're actually officially moving on.
When I get around the guys and we're actually practicing for the next opportunity. But till then, usually it's still, like, even right now, I'm just like, oh, I feel-- I feel so bad. I feel so down. But still got to push forward, man, because guess what. Miami doesn't care what happens, right?
They know-- they have-- no one else cares besides the group that I talked about that that's putting all the pressure on us. So we got to move on and we got to get on with it.
MATT HARMON: This is the only thing I can think of to relate it to, but it's almost like when you go through a breakup, and you're-- until you get out and like get back out there and see other people, like, start moving on with your life, it's like, you're just going to linger in that hurt. So in a way, it's OK, Wednesday, Thursday practice, that's when you're like first dates back out there again, you know?
AUSTIN EKELER: Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I like that.