Welcome 2 The Dawg House With Special Guest Coach Eric Crocker

The Spaces features Eric Crocker reflecting on his journey from Stockton, CA to pro football and back to high school coaching. He recounts limited youth resources, academic ineligibility, becoming a father at 19, leaving school to work warehouses, then returning with renewed maturity to Modesto Junior College, earning Division II opportunities, the Arena League, and a shot with the New York Jets. Crocker contrasts talent with professionalism: body care, routine, preparation, study, and competing daily amid the NFL’s ruthless business side and constant roster churn. He candidly describes the anxiety of trying to be perfect to avoid being cut, and the surprising relief he felt once released, which clarified the “it’s just business” reality. He defines dog mentality as resilience, problem-solving, and finding a way despite obstacles—planning, preparing, and executing to kick doors open. As a coach, he aims to be the mentor he lacked, building trust through genuine care, then holding players to high standards. He sees today’s athletes missing grit and problem-solving due to overprotection, and he models life skills—relationships, fatherhood, and adversity management—so football becomes a tool to teach adulthood long after the game ends.

Welcome to the Doghouse: Conversation with Eric Crocker

Room setup, participants, and announcements

• Hosts welcomed listeners to “Welcome to the Doghouse,” asked attendees to like and share the Space, and noted there would be occasional interruptions due to Eric’s incoming calls (he was at a coaches’ meeting and handling calls in between).
• Identified participants:
  • Eric Crocker (guest): Former NFL/Arena League player, 49ers podcaster, and high school football coach from Stockton, California.
  • Host (likely Kelly): Facilitated questions and managed room announcements; also handled music and tech during pauses.
  • Co-host (name not clearly captured): Led most interview prompts and shared channel programming announcements.
  • Audience shout-outs included Nikita and other community members.
• Programming and community plugs:
  • Weekly content schedule shout-outs: Money Moving on Mindsets with KP (Mon), Welcome to the Doghouse (Tue), a Wednesday pop-up (Pixel Wells), What the Best Looking Like with Candy (Thu), Friday’s TikTok “Men deserve their flowers too,” and Lady Locks with Tara, Nikita, Emek (Fri night).
  • Calls to subscribe to HNI/Parley Syndicate Patreon and check merchandise.
• Light banter: Co-host mentioned being in South Carolina with freezing temperatures and recent snow; Eric compared it to California’s variable weather (Stockton ~62°F, cool mornings and nights).
• Logistics note: Eric was at Edison High School; a “Super Bowl commercial” was filming at the football field, which he hoped would bring local exposure.

Eric Crocker: Background and early life in Stockton

• Grew up on the deep north side of Stockton, across from Vibrity Park, amid gang activity (North Side Gangster Crips, Vibrity Park Crips) and frequent violence (fights, stabbings, shootings). This environment created toughness but also a “numbness” from normalized exposure to harmful events.
• Early football passion:
  • As a kid, recorded NFL games on VHS to rewatch during the week and then mimicked plays in the street/park with his older brother.
  • Limited formal youth football due to finances; played one year of Pop Warner in 6th grade and otherwise participated in free/rec leagues (flag, etc.).

A misunderstood trait: Kindness versus weakness

• Eric believes people often mistake his chill, mellow nature as being a pushover. He avoids reacting to provocation unless necessary, prioritizing energy only for issues that impact his family or livelihood. He frames non-reaction as a strength and discipline, not weakness.

High school, setbacks, and re-entry: The long road to college ball

• High school inconsistencies:
  • Played only 10 varsity games due to academic ineligibility: 5 games junior year before becoming ineligible; missed first 5 games senior year for the same reason.
  • Admits laziness and lack of guidance; not a star recruit and didn’t see football as a realistic future.
• Post-high school detour:
  • Initially at Delta College (junior college), but struggled academically.
  • Became a father at 19; dropped out and worked a series of jobs (Toys “R” Us warehouse, a glass warehouse in Lathrop, security), without clear direction.
• Turning point:
  • Best friend (recently out of prison) pushed him to try again via Modesto Junior College (MJC).
  • Despite poor transcripts, the MJC staff supported him while he did the classroom work; maturity at 21–22 and motivation to be able to tell his son he “went to college” became core drivers.
• On-field breakthrough:
  • Balled out at MJC; earned first-team all-conference honors.
  • Received substantial college interest midway through the season via calls/texts.
  • Due to eligibility “clock” issues (time out of school), D1 options like Sacramento State/Portland State were constrained; Division II programs could still offer, enabling him to accept D2 scholarships.

First realization he could be NFL-caliber

• In his Arena League rookie year, a teammate who had just been cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers told Eric, “Why are you here? You should be in the NFL.”
• This was the first time anyone with direct NFL experience validated Eric’s pro-level talent, making the NFL feel like a real possibility.

Talent versus being a pro: Lessons from the Jets

• Professional standards observed:
  • Elite players rigorously took care of their bodies and prepared meticulously: practice prep, warmups, stretching, nutrition, studying.
  • The facility resources (e.g., chef-prepared breakfasts tailored to player preferences) contrasted sharply with D2/Arena experiences, underscoring the importance of using every professional support to maximize performance.
• The harsh business reality:
  • At the NFL/Arena levels, the environment is fundamentally a business; players are cut quickly, especially those with little financial investment tied to them (as an undrafted player, Eric had minimal guarantees).
  • He described a period where multiple teammates had injuries (referenced names included Joe McKnight, Chris Ivory, and Brian Winters), triggering roster shuffling that resulted in him being cut to make room—no personal slight, just operational necessity.
  • He emphasized never taking any day for granted given how fast things change.

Hardest adjustment from college to pro

• The hardest shift wasn’t physical or tactical—it was accepting the business-first nature:
  • Being undrafted meant near-zero institutional investment; the team could (and would) release him at any moment to address immediate roster needs.
  • He learned not to take cuts personally; it’s a systemic reality fans often don’t fully see.

Mental health and pressure on the bubble

• After being cut, Eric felt an unexpected sense of relief—as if a weight had lifted—recognizing the constant anxiety he’d been under while trying to be perfect amid daily cuts around him.
• He noted how Black men are often conditioned not to express these pressures, making it harder to process the stress until it’s over.

Dog mentality: Beyond social media slogans

• Definition and application:
  • “Dog” mentality means grinding through any situation, being the dependable person others look to, and solving problems regardless of circumstances.
  • It’s broader than sports—applies to being a husband/father and handling life’s challenges.
• “Figure-it-out” ethic:
  • As a seventh-grader, he taught himself bus routes to watch the 49ers practice at UOP, exemplifying initiative without hand-holding.
  • He believes many kids today lack this autonomy due to softer parenting environments.

Forcing the door open when opportunity isn’t given

• Eric’s framework: Plan → Prepare → Execute → Be ready for whatever.
• He stresses that with a little hope and relentless work, you can “kick the door open” if you want it badly enough.

Football lessons that carry into adult life

• Adversity and resilience:
  • He recalled giving up a 75-yard TD in college, then needing to bounce back immediately—mirroring adult scenarios like financial delays or unexpected obstacles where panic must be avoided and solutions found.

Why coach high school athletes after pro ball

• Mission:
  • Eric wants to provide the mentorship he never had—someone to put an arm around struggling youth, tell them they can, and guide them until all options are exhausted.
• What’s missing in many young athletes today:
  • Grit and problem-solving. He sees a “softer” generation with parents who often seek easier paths for their kids, limiting exposure to adversity and the growth that comes from it.

Coaching philosophy: Balancing high standards with care

• Earned respect through care:
  • Recognizes many kids don’t automatically respect adults; he leads by first showing care and love (“I care, I love you”), meeting needs, and building trust.
  • Once trust is established, he imposes accountability and discipline at a high level; kids accept it when they know it’s rooted in genuine care.
• Beyond football: Modeling life skills
  • He intentionally brings his wife and children around the team to model healthy relationships, communication, and fatherhood.
  • Demonstrates affection/respect toward his wife to normalize treating women well.
  • Shares that he had to learn these skills later; now married for 10 years, he wants players to see real examples.
  • He routinely correlates football habits (work ethic, handling adversity) to adult life, knowing football ends for most by age 22.

Session flow, interruptions, and close

• Eric occasionally dropped due to calls; hosts reassured listeners and planned for Q&A toward the end.
• After a prolonged interruption, hosts thanked Eric for joining, acknowledged he might not return due to prior commitments, shared final announcements, and closed the room.

Highlights and key takeaways

• Eric’s journey from academic ineligibility, dropping out, and warehouse jobs to college success and pro opportunities underscores the power of maturity, mentorship, and relentless work.
• The NFL/Arena experience taught him that professional success is not just talent; it requires body maintenance, disciplined preparation, and acceptance of the business realities (rapid cuts, limited guarantees).
• Dog mentality, as Eric defines it, is the capacity to handle anything—being the person others trust to figure things out.
• Coaching goal: offer the guidance he lacked, instill grit and problem-solving, and teach life skills, not just football technique.
• Practical coaching approach: show love first, then demand accountability; model healthy family dynamics to shape character beyond the field.
• Mental health insight: being on the roster bubble created intense anxiety; the release paradoxically provided relief—an important reminder about the emotional toll of pro sports on undrafted/on-the-margin players.
• Community note: Edison High’s local “Super Bowl” ad filming highlights efforts to bring exposure to youth programs and the local community.