Packers Q&A with Marcedes Lewis

Packer: Marcedes Lewis

Number: 89

Position: Tight end

College: UCLA

Draft: 2006, first round

Season: 14th

Age: 35

Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 267 pounds

Q: Aaron Rodgers was talking about you the other day and he mentioned that you’re in great shape. Did you lose weight to get ready for the new offense?

A: Coming from Jacksonville, that little time that I had before I signed here (in 2018), I was in between figuring out if I still wanted to play. I was like, “I’ve played for a while and I’ve done good for myself. Man, I don’t know.” I had about six or seven teams calling and Green Bay called four or five times that week. Jimmy (Graham) was here, I talked to ‘12’ (Rodgers) before I came, got in here and that was that. Getting here and not having a plan last year for me, it was different. My mind was in a different place. I met with Gutey (GM Brian Gutekunst) at the end of last year and Gutey was saying, “Hey, it’s going to be totally different. We need you as one of the leaders and your role is going to be different.” Automatically, I knew I needed to do things different. We had a different offense coming in here that’s really tight end-friendly. I focused on cutting weight. I’ve been doing mixed-martial arts, so I amped that up and did more swimming and did more running. I put the miles on my body.”

Q: How long have you been doing mixed-martial arts?

A: I’ve been doing mixed-martial arts for seven years, so I just amped that up more. Normally, I won’t doing football-specific stuff until maybe the end of April, just so I’m hungry. It’s like, “OK, I’m back in the saddle.” Before then, cutting weight, building up the agility and my heart and all of that, it’s mixed-martial arts two days a week.

Q: What do you like about MMA as part of your routine?

A: Mentally first. The way we train, what is it when you walk in the cage? It’s either me or you, and it’s definitely not going to be me. It’s the mentality. Mentally, you get in a place where I’m really here to outwork myself and I’m going to set the bar and let everybody else limbo underneath that. That’s the mind-set we have. Before I started doing that, you have a natural anxiety and a healthy fear when you walk onto the field. Now, the anxiety is good anxiety of what you’re going to do to your opponent. It’s more of a confidence that you have. Like, “Yo, we can either do it on this field or we can take it wherever you want to take it.” It’s helped more that way.

Q: Is that a natural mentality or did it take time to get to that place?

A: The first year was mainly just cardio, because you’re stiff and trying to figure it out. It’s always a two-pronged workout. Some days, I’ll do muay thai and jiu jitsu; and some days, I’ll do wrestling and boxing. That mind-set is built over time and it took two years to really understand it and get it. Once you’re not tired anymore, once you’re not dying at the beginning of the workout, now the technique starts to hone in. You’re working your mind more than your body at that point. Your body’s going to go wherever your mind is at.

Q: Getting back to football, how frustrating was last season? You were an accomplished player who had a good season. You came here and former coach Mike McCarthy raved about you … and then seemingly forgot about you.

A: It was frustrating but my mind-set is it’s not about me. When you’re in the league for so long, you’ve seen it all, from having different teammates, the coaches. In Jacksonville, I had five coaches, two owners, two GMs. You know what I mean? I’ve seen it all. When it comes to situations like that — especially, I’m in a new environment, a new team, I’m just trying to figure it all out — and it was frustrating but what are you going to do? It wasn’t like we were in a situation where we were winning. I’m just not going to be that guy. I’ll do the best I can, whether I’m getting a lot of snaps or not. I control what I can control. My attitude, my effort is what I can control. Everything else is water off a duck’s back. When you have that mind-set, you go with the flow and you figure it out. If you try to worry about the things that you don’t control, you’re going to end up stressing yourself out, and I don’t want to take my mind there.

Q: You mentioned that Gutey called you after the season and told you that he needed you. Did part of you think, “Well, you said you needed me last season, too.”

A: Me and Gutey have a good relationship. He’s just a genuine dude — always has been to me, from the moment I walked in this building. I trusted him. So far, it’s paying off, whether it’s my snaps in the game or how they’re using me. I’m happy in my role, I accept it.