1
00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:15,000
Speaker 1: What is going on everybody, John Middlecoff, that would be

2
00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,880
Speaker 1: myself three and out podcast. Thank you for listening. We

3
00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,759
Speaker 1: have a big show coming up. We have Blair Walsh,

4
00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,240
Speaker 1: the former Viking kicker kick for Seattle for a year, Uh,

5
00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,920
Speaker 1: joined the show and we just talk everything from playing

6
00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,880
Speaker 1: in the SEC to turning down Nick Saban to go

7
00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,680
Speaker 1: to Alabama. You ended up going to Georgia, kicking in

8
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,600
Speaker 1: the playoffs, missing kicks, making kicks, what it's like to

9
00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,360
Speaker 1: try out for teams, kind of dive into it all.

10
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,279
Speaker 1: It's kind of unique, you know, and uh, big fan

11
00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,360
Speaker 1: of Blair. I know he's a big calling guy. We

12
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,599
Speaker 1: met through Instagram telling you you slide up in those

13
00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,640
Speaker 1: d ms. You never know. I think I split up

14
00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,160
Speaker 1: into his d m s. But uh, but yeah, he was.

15
00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,680
Speaker 1: It was fun, good interview. I'm gonna start off the top.

16
00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,559
Speaker 1: I'll dive into the quarterback stuff that happened on Thursday,

17
00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,760
Speaker 1: and then Middlecoff mail bag at John Middlecoff when I

18
00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,640
Speaker 1: think I'm gonna do because the interview is pretty long,

19
00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,440
Speaker 1: and I'll probably just talk about the quarterbacks for at

20
00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,000
Speaker 1: least ten minutes. I want to the show to be

21
00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:17,880
Speaker 1: too long. I'm gonna put it on YouTube. Just go

22
00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,600
Speaker 1: to my YouTube channel, John Middlecoff, and I'm gonna put

23
00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,640
Speaker 1: uh the Q and A basically the the Middlecoff mail bag.

24
00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,319
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put it up there, so that'll be today.

25
00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,240
Speaker 1: And yeah, this is like we always do three and

26
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,800
Speaker 1: out podcasts. If you listen on Collins Feed, subscribe on

27
00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,000
Speaker 1: the individual three and out feed would greatly appreciate that

28
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:41,920
Speaker 1: helps with selling you guys know the drill. Leave a

29
00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,600
Speaker 1: review if you if you like the show. And let's

30
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,800
Speaker 1: dive into the quarterbacks. Okay, we had a big trade.

31
00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,960
Speaker 1: Carson Wentz is now an Eagle. We have Roethlisberger who

32
00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,200
Speaker 1: looks like his job at any moment he could be cut.

33
00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,520
Speaker 1: So we got some crazy quarterback movement. And I want

34
00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:05,440
Speaker 1: to start with the financials. One people's I I think

35
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,080
Speaker 1: people view money the wrong way. Money is all relative.

36
00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,960
Speaker 1: If you don't have any money and I give you

37
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,840
Speaker 1: a thousand dollars, that's a lot of money. If you

38
00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,080
Speaker 1: are a multimillionaire and I hand you a thousand dollars,

39
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,960
Speaker 1: that is not a lot of money. Anyone that started

40
00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,440
Speaker 1: a business that first year, any positive revenue you make

41
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,400
Speaker 1: just pick up. You know, an even number a hundred

42
00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,520
Speaker 1: thousand dollars. You start a business and that that first

43
00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,880
Speaker 1: year you make a hundred thousand dollars in revenue, You're

44
00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,840
Speaker 1: probably excited as hell. You started a business and scratch,

45
00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,919
Speaker 1: you made a hundred thousand dollars. Ten years later, that number,

46
00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,000
Speaker 1: if things are going well, could be fifty million dollars

47
00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,359
Speaker 1: in revenue. So you started a hundred thousand dollars, that

48
00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,880
Speaker 1: number was a lot because your first year, ten years

49
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,359
Speaker 1: later you could have office space, you could have fifty employees.

50
00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,880
Speaker 1: You're making fifty million dollars in revenue. Do you know

51
00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,160
Speaker 1: the way you look at that business and you might

52
00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,600
Speaker 1: be doing the exact same thing in terms of pushing

53
00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,520
Speaker 1: the same product. Let's say you're selling clothes and that

54
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,320
Speaker 1: close and that clothing line has blown up. Do you

55
00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,160
Speaker 1: know what you no longer do? You don't view that

56
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,280
Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollar revenue as a lot? Think of it

57
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,960
Speaker 1: in your own personal you know space. At one point

58
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,280
Speaker 1: in time, if you would have handed me a thousand dollars,

59
00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,960
Speaker 1: that would have been a shipload of money. Then you

60
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,360
Speaker 1: get to a point in time life goes well. If

61
00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,080
Speaker 1: you handed me ten thousand dollars, that would have been

62
00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,640
Speaker 1: a lot of money. And if things keep going well,

63
00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,400
Speaker 1: maybe you hand me fifty thou dollars not a lot

64
00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,240
Speaker 1: of money. Then you hand me five hundred thousand dollars.

65
00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,360
Speaker 1: That's not a lot of money. Why well, if I

66
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,800
Speaker 1: got twenty million in the bank, those numbers are small.

67
00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,640
Speaker 1: If I have no money, or I'm worth fifty thousand

68
00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,800
Speaker 1: dollars and you had had me five thousand dollars, that's

69
00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,640
Speaker 1: a lot of cash. Money is all relative, And I

70
00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,600
Speaker 1: think a lot of people look at the NFL and

71
00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,040
Speaker 1: they go, how can these people be eating this money?

72
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,000
Speaker 1: They just gave all this bonus money to the player.

73
00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,120
Speaker 1: Because like in in basketball, Steph Curry signs a two

74
00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,640
Speaker 1: hundred million dollar deal, he has paid that deal over

75
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,599
Speaker 1: the course of his five year contract. In football, the

76
00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,720
Speaker 1: moment Carson Wentz or Jared Goff signed that hundred and

77
00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,599
Speaker 1: fifty million dollar deal with all that guaranteed money of

78
00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,880
Speaker 1: a hundred to ten hundred twenty, they are paid that

79
00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,320
Speaker 1: money by that owner over like a twelve to eighteen

80
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,559
Speaker 1: month stretch. Do you know what those owners no longer

81
00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:45,400
Speaker 1: care about a hundred million dollars where maybe ten twenty

82
00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,320
Speaker 1: years ago they would have Why, because the NFL is

83
00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,800
Speaker 1: printing money. NFL franchises are now banks. The one NFL

84
00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,240
Speaker 1: team that did not have any money, the Raiders, moved

85
00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,120
Speaker 1: to Las Vegas, and now whenever Corona ends and they

86
00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,080
Speaker 1: could have the stadium humming, they will have a ton

87
00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,880
Speaker 1: of money. Every team has cash because even if you

88
00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,320
Speaker 1: don't generate any money, the media salary check that comes

89
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,599
Speaker 1: to every team is way more than the salary caps.

90
00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,760
Speaker 1: Paying for your coaches, is paying for your employees, is

91
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,360
Speaker 1: paying for your players. They print money because we we

92
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,719
Speaker 1: know all these teams are making money. So a team

93
00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,960
Speaker 1: like the Eagles, which I was lucky enough to work for,

94
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,240
Speaker 1: they've Jeffrey Leuri has been making such big cash for

95
00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,880
Speaker 1: twenty plus years, all this money. When I say, I

96
00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,240
Speaker 1: can't believe they paid them all this money, they got

97
00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,599
Speaker 1: rid of them, I can. They don't like him anymore.

98
00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,360
Speaker 1: They can't stand the guy anymore. Now, Is it gonna

99
00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,000
Speaker 1: bite him in the ass? Did they screw it up? Maybe? Probably?

100
00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,520
Speaker 1: Is he gonna succeed with the Indianapolis Colts? I don't know.

101
00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,920
Speaker 1: Is it risky for the Colts? Of course it is

102
00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:51,680
Speaker 1: because this guy has not played well and he's been

103
00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:53,799
Speaker 1: a locker room problem. But you know what the Colts

104
00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:55,919
Speaker 1: have to do on March three? Now they have to

105
00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,039
Speaker 1: pay Carson Wentz ten million dollars. Let me repeat, they

106
00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,400
Speaker 1: have to pay Carson went It's ten million dollars. Do

107
00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,720
Speaker 1: you know what Jim or say doesn't even blink or

108
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,000
Speaker 1: give a shit about ten million dollars. It means nothing

109
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,359
Speaker 1: to them. And I think we see this dead cap

110
00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,360
Speaker 1: and obviously you don't want dead cap space, you know,

111
00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:14,880
Speaker 1: to exist on a given year, right, you would like

112
00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,360
Speaker 1: to have the full lotment of the cap space to

113
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,839
Speaker 1: buy the players. But you know what, teams are starting

114
00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,760
Speaker 1: to realize it doesn't matter. We don't want the guy around.

115
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,680
Speaker 1: Get out of here. The Eagles wanted them gone. Did

116
00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,640
Speaker 1: they screw up the situation? Maybe? Is Carson Wentz a

117
00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:33,080
Speaker 1: pretty big diva? Yes? Is it a disaster on both there?

118
00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,080
Speaker 1: You know, you know, do they both bear some responsibility?

119
00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,120
Speaker 1: Of course they do. Are the Colts you know, kind

120
00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:41,080
Speaker 1: of benefiting from being able to buy a low kind

121
00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,440
Speaker 1: of but they're taking on a huge contract, which again,

122
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:44,920
Speaker 1: do you know what? They don't care about a huge

123
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,720
Speaker 1: contract because thirty million dollars to an NFL like whatever,

124
00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,120
Speaker 1: None of this matters. These teams have unlimited money. Back

125
00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:55,120
Speaker 1: when I worked in the NFL, when I first got there,

126
00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,560
Speaker 1: like ten years ago, paying a wide receiver was a

127
00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,560
Speaker 1: lot of cash. Amari Cooper last year, who probably not

128
00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,760
Speaker 1: even a top seven or eight wide receiver, He's probably

129
00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,279
Speaker 1: like somewhere like eight to fifteen, makes twenty million dollars

130
00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,120
Speaker 1: a year. And you know what, it's not even weird.

131
00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:11,840
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people when you see them

132
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:15,040
Speaker 1: talking about these transactions, like the dead cap, the cap space,

133
00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,160
Speaker 1: the bonuses, are living like fifteen years ago. None of

134
00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,520
Speaker 1: this fucking matters. They have unlimited cash. Do you know

135
00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,960
Speaker 1: what the Pittsburgh Steelers will do if Roethlisberger doesn't give

136
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,480
Speaker 1: back a lot of cash, they will cut him. And

137
00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:31,800
Speaker 1: I don't even think they'll think twice about it. You

138
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,000
Speaker 1: know what the Rams would have done with Jared Goff

139
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,480
Speaker 1: if they did not get Matt Stafford. In my in

140
00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,240
Speaker 1: my own opinion, I don't have inside information on this,

141
00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,560
Speaker 1: but just look at the way they talked about him.

142
00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,080
Speaker 1: I think they would have cut Jared Goff because they

143
00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,200
Speaker 1: don't care about the dead cap space, they don't care

144
00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,320
Speaker 1: about the bonus money they paid them. They don't want

145
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,840
Speaker 1: to see him anymore. They don't want him to be

146
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,200
Speaker 1: their quarterback. You know what, The Eagles didn't want Carson

147
00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:58,160
Speaker 1: Wentz to be around the building anymore. And you know

148
00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,520
Speaker 1: what doesn't matter to any of these teams. We've mentioned

149
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:06,480
Speaker 1: money for most human beings, right, money matters even when

150
00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,680
Speaker 1: it's relative. Right, If I own a million dollar home,

151
00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:11,080
Speaker 1: I gotta have a certain amount of money to be

152
00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:13,440
Speaker 1: able to pay my mortgage, pay the taxes, all that stuff.

153
00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:15,840
Speaker 1: If I own a ten million dollar home, it's still

154
00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:17,960
Speaker 1: all relative. I gotta have the money to pay the taxes,

155
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,600
Speaker 1: the mortgage or whatever. If I have an NFL team,

156
00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,280
Speaker 1: this is what it costs to do business. Unlike most

157
00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,480
Speaker 1: of us. If we the home analogy, we have to

158
00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,280
Speaker 1: earn income and that's not guaranteed. We get fired, business

159
00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,839
Speaker 1: go under whatever. In the NFL. You know what is

160
00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,680
Speaker 1: not gonna happen. No money flowing. Why because the media

161
00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:41,080
Speaker 1: deals pay for all the players. So when these teams

162
00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,959
Speaker 1: decide I don't want this player anymore. Like clearly the

163
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,640
Speaker 1: Steelers right now, Colin mentioned it. Bronthlisberger is not a

164
00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,800
Speaker 1: hard worker in terms of the off season. His body

165
00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:54,360
Speaker 1: has always met his film study blow average the offense

166
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,800
Speaker 1: they've had the tailor. Now, listen, I'm a Roethlisberger guy

167
00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,240
Speaker 1: in his peak. You know what, I'm not Roethlisberg guy

168
00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,240
Speaker 1: right now. He ant move. He's old. He got way

169
00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,559
Speaker 1: worse towards the end of the season. And it doesn't

170
00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,959
Speaker 1: matter what I think. The the GMS admitted to do do

171
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,040
Speaker 1: it like they're kind of over him, and you know

172
00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,720
Speaker 1: what they will do. They're not caught up with the money. Now.

173
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,480
Speaker 1: It impacts you in the sense of how you can

174
00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,600
Speaker 1: build your team in the short term, but when you

175
00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,920
Speaker 1: get to a certain point in time when you have

176
00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,920
Speaker 1: unlimited cash. And I've never been this way. Obviously most

177
00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,040
Speaker 1: people listening or not, they're only a small percentage of

178
00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,160
Speaker 1: billionaires and they're all NFL owners and then other people, right,

179
00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,320
Speaker 1: but I mean all the NFL owners are in that

180
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,600
Speaker 1: small percentage. You don't get caught up in you know,

181
00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,800
Speaker 1: like we always say this, use this word in this model,

182
00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,280
Speaker 1: like it's water under the bridge, don't worry about spilled milk.

183
00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,480
Speaker 1: That's easy to say if money doesn't matter to you,

184
00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,400
Speaker 1: But like most of us, if we buy a home

185
00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:53,960
Speaker 1: and we start going underwater on it and lose our job,

186
00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,160
Speaker 1: Like we're in trouble. We might have to foreclose on

187
00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,800
Speaker 1: the home short sat. We're just we have to make

188
00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,200
Speaker 1: it a decision. If you are worth a hundred two

189
00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,560
Speaker 1: hundred million dollars and you have all these properties and

190
00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:08,760
Speaker 1: one is gonna go under, that's worth a couple of

191
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,320
Speaker 1: million dollars, do you know what you can do? Whatever?

192
00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,760
Speaker 1: Fuck it, I just lose it. We'll just focus on

193
00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,480
Speaker 1: the ones that are doing well. That's kind of what

194
00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,040
Speaker 1: NFL teams are turning into with the most important asset

195
00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,760
Speaker 1: in the quarterback. But because of the ability to like, yeah,

196
00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,000
Speaker 1: we paid this guy all this money, we don't want

197
00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,880
Speaker 1: him to be our quarterback anymore. That never happened most

198
00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,800
Speaker 1: of my life. You just rode out situations, and I

199
00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,480
Speaker 1: think in in basketball and baseball it happens a lot

200
00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,880
Speaker 1: because of the guaranteed money. You just can't cut the guy.

201
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:44,040
Speaker 1: I think these teams are realizing now, listen, let's bite

202
00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,160
Speaker 1: the bullet. Financially, it only cripples our salary cap. It

203
00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:51,240
Speaker 1: doesn't actually impact if I'm an owner. The bottom line,

204
00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,240
Speaker 1: I'm still making the same amount of money, and even

205
00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:56,880
Speaker 1: if my team is not doing great, I'm still gonna

206
00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,800
Speaker 1: crush it if I'm the Steelers, are the Eagles, Like

207
00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,360
Speaker 1: the Eagles this year won four or five games. They

208
00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,040
Speaker 1: you think Jeffrey Lurry like, yeah, we're just not making

209
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,679
Speaker 1: any money anymore. No, you got richer this year. So

210
00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,520
Speaker 1: I think we have to start looking at this differently

211
00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,760
Speaker 1: and realizing these teams are not gonna gett is caught

212
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,840
Speaker 1: up on dead cap space because the one thing we

213
00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,040
Speaker 1: we know for a fact is irrelevant is the word

214
00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,040
Speaker 1: cap space. Because you can change it immediately. You can

215
00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,520
Speaker 1: cut guys, you can restructure contracts. Dead cap space a

216
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,520
Speaker 1: little different. You're not You can't really change that unless

217
00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:33,160
Speaker 1: you trade a guy, and even some of that stays

218
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,480
Speaker 1: on your books. But I think these gms, and I

219
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,840
Speaker 1: definitely think these owners because they were the ones okay

220
00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,080
Speaker 1: and these transactions realize, yeah, bite the bullet, let's move on.

221
00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,160
Speaker 1: I I don't want this guy on the team anymore.

222
00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:47,880
Speaker 1: We've already paid them, so who cares. And they have

223
00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,840
Speaker 1: the financial wherewithal now and the deep pocket books to like,

224
00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,880
Speaker 1: you know whatever. And I think we're only gonna see

225
00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,000
Speaker 1: more of it. And I think it's gonna be a

226
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,680
Speaker 1: new trend in the NFL because the more money you have,

227
00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,840
Speaker 1: the easier it is to solve your problems. Most of

228
00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,520
Speaker 1: our problems as like if you just look at like

229
00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,839
Speaker 1: small businesses are always financially based, right, like can we

230
00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,520
Speaker 1: afford another employee, Can we afford to expand the office,

231
00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,640
Speaker 1: can we afford do for a restaurant, bringing you know

232
00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:20,080
Speaker 1: another chef? Can we afford you know, rent the space

233
00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,240
Speaker 1: next to us. It's just you're always kind of nitpicking.

234
00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,680
Speaker 1: It's why as someone that does a lot of advertising,

235
00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,400
Speaker 1: I like dealing with the big boys because they don't

236
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,440
Speaker 1: really worry about little rounding errors when you do business

237
00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,920
Speaker 1: in my space with small businesses, you know, every ten

238
00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:40,880
Speaker 1: means a lot to them. I like, ideally, you know,

239
00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,199
Speaker 1: you want to work with huge companies where money doesn't

240
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:47,280
Speaker 1: mean that much, and obviously it always means something, but

241
00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,680
Speaker 1: a rounding error is just relative to how much money have.

242
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,360
Speaker 1: And I think these teams in the league have shown

243
00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:58,560
Speaker 1: us they're rounding errors right now are fucking enormous because

244
00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,280
Speaker 1: of the cash is being generated by the league. So

245
00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,840
Speaker 1: Carson Wentz, the Eagles were tired of him. He was

246
00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,360
Speaker 1: tired of them. Now we'll see what happens with the

247
00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,240
Speaker 1: Colts somewhat low risk, still pretty risky because they are

248
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,559
Speaker 1: character stuff and he makes a ton of money. Roethlisberger.

249
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,720
Speaker 1: I think the Steelers go listen, it's just we gotta

250
00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,400
Speaker 1: move on. And I don't think he's gonna have a

251
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,280
Speaker 1: trade partner. I think if he's not on the team

252
00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,480
Speaker 1: next year, they're gonna they're gonna release him. So it

253
00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,439
Speaker 1: just it shows you. These gems, now, which I appreciate,

254
00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,840
Speaker 1: aren't sugarcoating any of this. You know, it's they're just

255
00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,719
Speaker 1: being honest. What's the point, like, listen, we're not We're

256
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,360
Speaker 1: not bound by anything just because yeah, we gotta old

257
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,480
Speaker 1: this guy at bonus whatever, pay the guy bonus, tell

258
00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,040
Speaker 1: him to go away. That's what the NFL is becoming,

259
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:49,199
Speaker 1: very very quickly. Let's dive into our guest, Blair. What's

260
00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,280
Speaker 1: going on, man? Nothing much are you doing? John? I'm

261
00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,680
Speaker 1: doing really good. Happy to to have you on the show.

262
00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:58,800
Speaker 1: I don't think we had Carson Palmer on, and you're

263
00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,760
Speaker 1: I've never had a kicker, you know, I've had some quarterbacks.

264
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:04,120
Speaker 1: They get a lot of run, the quarterbacks. You know

265
00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:05,920
Speaker 1: that there's something funny about the fact that you just

266
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,640
Speaker 1: mentioned Carson Palmer in the same sentence as me. But

267
00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:13,440
Speaker 1: I mean, I'll definitely take it. So, uh, let's start

268
00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,800
Speaker 1: with this. You, uh, you were just recently signed going

269
00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:21,040
Speaker 1: into the playoffs. Are a little bit before with the Saints,

270
00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,200
Speaker 1: and you and me were just kind of bs and

271
00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,560
Speaker 1: before I hit record on just that process obviously this

272
00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,200
Speaker 1: year was kind of bananas, right. We just you don't

273
00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,920
Speaker 1: just show up and signed and kick that day. Uh,

274
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,960
Speaker 1: tell us a little bit like once they want to

275
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,440
Speaker 1: sign you, what the the quote unquote onboarding process of

276
00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,680
Speaker 1: the tests and before you can officially kind of be signed,

277
00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:43,080
Speaker 1: how that worked. Yeah, I mean we were just discussing

278
00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,240
Speaker 1: it earlier. It's it's so unique this year and the

279
00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,760
Speaker 1: process of even just signing for agents off the street.

280
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,320
Speaker 1: I got a call about a week before they even

281
00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:54,640
Speaker 1: wanted to bring me in saying that, hey, we're thinking

282
00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,680
Speaker 1: about bringing you in on I think it was, and

283
00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:00,360
Speaker 1: then we're gonna keep you here for five days, asked

284
00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,240
Speaker 1: all the coronavirus tests that you do daily, and then

285
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,120
Speaker 1: after that fifth day passes, you can then work out

286
00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,360
Speaker 1: for the team. Then after that workout, they can either

287
00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,880
Speaker 1: sign you immediately or they can wait another I think

288
00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:15,960
Speaker 1: it's almost a week and then they would have to

289
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,400
Speaker 1: be forced to make a decision to sign you or

290
00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,840
Speaker 1: to let you go home. They can't keep you past

291
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,400
Speaker 1: that time. And you know, as you know, in normal years,

292
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,240
Speaker 1: that's just not the case at all. They'll bring you

293
00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,680
Speaker 1: in on a Sunday night Monday morning to work out.

294
00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,320
Speaker 1: By you know, Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning, you know

295
00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:34,400
Speaker 1: whether or not you're being signed to that team, and

296
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,400
Speaker 1: if not, you just get on a plane and fly

297
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,800
Speaker 1: back to everywhere. Yeah. I mean I my first year

298
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,280
Speaker 1: in Philly, I was like the lowest guy in the

299
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,640
Speaker 1: totem ploy. I used to pick up guys for those workouts,

300
00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,040
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, for position players it's more just

301
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,080
Speaker 1: kind of like a combine work but for kickers or punters,

302
00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,120
Speaker 1: I mean, there could be multiple guys that have given

303
00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:55,400
Speaker 1: workout just kicking against each other. Have you ever been

304
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:56,760
Speaker 1: a part of a workout like that in the last

305
00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:57,960
Speaker 1: couple of years where you just kind of been a

306
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,400
Speaker 1: kickoff against the guy to make a team. Oh, I've been.

307
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,960
Speaker 1: I've been workouts where um, there was two there were

308
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,040
Speaker 1: so many guys. There was two stages. They put the

309
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:07,960
Speaker 1: first five kickers in the first stage and the next

310
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,240
Speaker 1: five kickers in the next one. And this was literally

311
00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,600
Speaker 1: to win a job and to be their guy. And

312
00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:15,000
Speaker 1: you know, I've won some of them, and I've lost

313
00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,840
Speaker 1: just as many. And it's I think the wild thing

314
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,600
Speaker 1: to me is that the coaches just will literally put

315
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,240
Speaker 1: you back on a plane and send you right home

316
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,800
Speaker 1: that day. To me, it's just insane. I remember we

317
00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:30,160
Speaker 1: had to workout in Cleveland. They had lost I think

318
00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:31,920
Speaker 1: they were still in their losing street where they hadn't

319
00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,440
Speaker 1: won in almost two years, and their guy was struggling,

320
00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:37,400
Speaker 1: and we knew it was a workout to come in

321
00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,440
Speaker 1: and replace them. And I got a call Sunday afternoon,

322
00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,680
Speaker 1: flew a red eye into Cleveland from l A. Got

323
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,960
Speaker 1: there at six uh, went to the hospital to get

324
00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,040
Speaker 1: blood drawn in physical and by about nine am I

325
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:51,520
Speaker 1: was on the field working out. And I just remember

326
00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:53,200
Speaker 1: being like, this is what it's like to be a

327
00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,320
Speaker 1: street fridge, and it's it's it's not a great place

328
00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,200
Speaker 1: to be. So when you go to a workout like

329
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,720
Speaker 1: that and one you have one, you realize you've been

330
00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,159
Speaker 1: on the other side. I would imagine seeing guys come

331
00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:06,720
Speaker 1: after your job and now you're on the side where

332
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,360
Speaker 1: you're trying to take someone's job. Would you say you're

333
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,520
Speaker 1: kind of just numb to the whole process now, I

334
00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,520
Speaker 1: mean it's still we're all humans, But is there still

335
00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:15,240
Speaker 1: an element where you're like, damn, this is kind of

336
00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,080
Speaker 1: crazy every time you're part of it. At this point, yeah,

337
00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,000
Speaker 1: I would definitely say I'm numb to that aspect of it.

338
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,440
Speaker 1: I think you have to really want it in order

339
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:27,040
Speaker 1: to continue to live that lifestyle because, unlike any other position,

340
00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,000
Speaker 1: there's only one of us on a given team. There's

341
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,160
Speaker 1: no backups. There's no guys on practice squads until this year,

342
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,520
Speaker 1: but there's no guys on practice squads. You're no backups.

343
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,000
Speaker 1: You're either the starter or you're unemployed. And I think

344
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,720
Speaker 1: that's just such a unique position in sports because pretty

345
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,000
Speaker 1: much every other position across all sports, there's usually a

346
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,560
Speaker 1: substitute or a guy in reserve that's ready to come

347
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,720
Speaker 1: up and play if if the starter struggling and the

348
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,760
Speaker 1: starter doesn't get fired, they just get demoted a temporary demotions.

349
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,600
Speaker 1: So our lifestyles is pretty crazy in that aspect, and

350
00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,359
Speaker 1: I guess it's it makes up with the fact that

351
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,360
Speaker 1: we don't have to hit and grind in the trenches

352
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,480
Speaker 1: like they do, so unlike another position weren't even this year,

353
00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:06,200
Speaker 1: and I think kind of moving forward, I would imagine

354
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,440
Speaker 1: they expand the practice squad. So what you saw Dec

355
00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,399
Speaker 1: Bryant like this year was on a practice squad like

356
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,040
Speaker 1: a position player. They get to keep practicing and kind

357
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,399
Speaker 1: of honing their skills. For you, you're either on the

358
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,000
Speaker 1: squad or off it. What do you do? You go

359
00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,080
Speaker 1: out to a park like, what how do you stay

360
00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:22,480
Speaker 1: locked in kicking? You know it's tough. What do you

361
00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,280
Speaker 1: find a long stay? Right? This year is tough too,

362
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,240
Speaker 1: because you know, parks of closed. They're not letting you

363
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,679
Speaker 1: on the field. Nobody's really opening the facilities. Usually can

364
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,040
Speaker 1: go to a community college or placed with NFL size

365
00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,680
Speaker 1: uprights and practice, but this year it's you know, you

366
00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,119
Speaker 1: can't really get on fields. There's a guy you probably

367
00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:42,160
Speaker 1: remember him, uh, John Carney, who trains kickers. He lives

368
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,040
Speaker 1: in San Diego, so I'm only about an hour away

369
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:45,480
Speaker 1: from there, so I'll go down and have a good

370
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,560
Speaker 1: relationship with him. But he's kind of the West Coast

371
00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,520
Speaker 1: kicking whisperer. And you'll get guys in a group where

372
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,480
Speaker 1: you can get a snap and a hold, and he

373
00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,360
Speaker 1: provides field access, so he's been a good mentor for that.

374
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,800
Speaker 1: But I feel for those guys around the country where

375
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,320
Speaker 1: you know, they're literally trying to break into college field

376
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,119
Speaker 1: so they can just get on there and do their work.

377
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,320
Speaker 1: It's not like normal times. What would you say the

378
00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:11,680
Speaker 1: percentage of kicking is mental to physical? I think over

379
00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,240
Speaker 1: is mental. I mean, if you have put a number

380
00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,639
Speaker 1: on it, I would say physically it's about thirty and

381
00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:21,080
Speaker 1: seventy is a total mental I mean you can go

382
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,240
Speaker 1: practice and you know, make twenty straight kicks, but you

383
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,840
Speaker 1: know your first kick in the game you'll miss. And

384
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,720
Speaker 1: that's just to me, that's totally the moment, the pressure

385
00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:33,600
Speaker 1: or whatever other um outside contributing factors that you feel

386
00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,560
Speaker 1: during the game that you don't feel during practice. So

387
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,600
Speaker 1: to me, I would say it's about sevent Like you

388
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,800
Speaker 1: would be considered having a pretty strong leg right since

389
00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,399
Speaker 1: coming out of college, And would you say, what are

390
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:50,960
Speaker 1: you thirty two right now? Is your leg strength any

391
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,040
Speaker 1: different than it was like your rookie year. Probably I'm

392
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:55,920
Speaker 1: probably stronger now. I'm in better shape. You know, the

393
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,680
Speaker 1: older you get and the more the sports nutrition has developed,

394
00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,040
Speaker 1: I mean, I look back at my body composition when

395
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:02,840
Speaker 1: I was a rookie too now and I'm in such

396
00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,240
Speaker 1: better shape and I'm able to bounce back quicker, And

397
00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,120
Speaker 1: it's just the mentality has to be the same throughout.

398
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,840
Speaker 1: And that's been the that's been the process for me,

399
00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,320
Speaker 1: is to keep that mentality just as as good as

400
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,400
Speaker 1: it was when I was a rookie. And there's ways

401
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:18,800
Speaker 1: you can do that sports performance coaches. UM over my shoulder,

402
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:22,960
Speaker 1: you'll see Bob Rotella, who's a famous golf sports performance coach.

403
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,199
Speaker 1: I went and saw him a few years ago and

404
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,760
Speaker 1: he's helped other athletes. So it's it's a process and

405
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,520
Speaker 1: it's something you have to contribute your time and effort

406
00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,320
Speaker 1: into getting better at. Is that like if we were

407
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,640
Speaker 1: using golf is analogy like a pre shot routine, are

408
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:37,399
Speaker 1: you talking about like when you're kicking or just saying

409
00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,840
Speaker 1: this whole thing is is getting lost in the process,

410
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:42,960
Speaker 1: And there's so many similarities between a golf shot and

411
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,480
Speaker 1: kicking because we're kind of on our own little island, um.

412
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,800
Speaker 1: And so for me, it's it's always been about the process.

413
00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,280
Speaker 1: Control what you can control, and then once your ball

414
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,119
Speaker 1: your foot beats the ball, it's over. You've done everything

415
00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,960
Speaker 1: you possibly can to make that outcome go your way,

416
00:20:57,119 --> 00:20:59,160
Speaker 1: and you have to take solace and comfort in knowing

417
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,800
Speaker 1: that and really focusing on that rather than hey, did

418
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:03,720
Speaker 1: it go in or not? That's that's a tough part.

419
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,320
Speaker 1: So I would imagine you feel like your mindset and

420
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,320
Speaker 1: understanding of what it takes to kick now is light.

421
00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:12,360
Speaker 1: You're stronger than it was like you were a pro

422
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,880
Speaker 1: bowler as a rookie. Right, you get stronger mentally now,

423
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,560
Speaker 1: you know, I mean close to a decade later, absolutely,

424
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,440
Speaker 1: and especially going through the real highs and the real

425
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,959
Speaker 1: lows of this profession, you kind of realized that, you know,

426
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,080
Speaker 1: somewhere in the middle lies the comfortability and the and

427
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,000
Speaker 1: the the way you want your career to go. You

428
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,000
Speaker 1: don't really need to ride the huge eyes and really

429
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,919
Speaker 1: get down on yourself when it's bad. It's it's kind

430
00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,520
Speaker 1: of right in the middle sweet spot of just saying, hey,

431
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:37,399
Speaker 1: I'm really good at my job. I'm gonna lead at

432
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,560
Speaker 1: my job actually, and I can do it in any condition,

433
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,120
Speaker 1: in any situations. So if I'm having a bad day,

434
00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:45,520
Speaker 1: I'll be fine. If I'm having a great day, I'm

435
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:50,160
Speaker 1: still fun. Well, I'm fascinated by kickers because we understand

436
00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,960
Speaker 1: like how a linebacker or a star point guard like

437
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,240
Speaker 1: those guys start balling out, you know, in high school,

438
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,200
Speaker 1: and it's just everyone wants the ball or to score

439
00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,760
Speaker 1: points or to hit home runs. Well, the kicker, it's

440
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,520
Speaker 1: kind of unique. I mean, your story before you get

441
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,359
Speaker 1: to college, you are you a soccer player. Obviously you're playing,

442
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,280
Speaker 1: I would imagine on the high school football team. But

443
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,440
Speaker 1: how how do you become a kicker? Oh? Wait? I

444
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:13,520
Speaker 1: was always a soccer player. I've never played an actual

445
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,480
Speaker 1: position or or down of football outside of being a kicker.

446
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,200
Speaker 1: And you know, halfway through my high school um career,

447
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:21,920
Speaker 1: I just got so burnt out of soccer and I

448
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,480
Speaker 1: kind of realized that wasn't really taking it anywhere. And

449
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,879
Speaker 1: but he said I should try kicking. Had a strong leg,

450
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000
Speaker 1: and it just kind of clicked for me, that that

451
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:34,080
Speaker 1: adrenaline rush and that excitement of hey, there's one play

452
00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:35,720
Speaker 1: that will that will either the outcome will be either

453
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,919
Speaker 1: good or bad. And soccer there's a million plays and

454
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:45,200
Speaker 1: nobody remembers the outcome and nobody can pinpoint one right right, yeah, exactly,

455
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,560
Speaker 1: And um, I love that aspect of it started to

456
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,399
Speaker 1: get recruited. I remember you and I were talking about

457
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:55,120
Speaker 1: this earlier. Coaches would come into our high school, and

458
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:57,800
Speaker 1: one of the most notable ones was Nick Saban. He

459
00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,920
Speaker 1: would he just started coaching in Alabama, and I mean,

460
00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,879
Speaker 1: I think they they were projected to not even come

461
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,520
Speaker 1: close to being an SEC championship that year, and he

462
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:08,960
Speaker 1: came and recruited me and said, hey, would you like

463
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,879
Speaker 1: to be our kicker? And I just remember thinking, I

464
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,480
Speaker 1: have all these other big offers from big programs that

465
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,720
Speaker 1: are successful and really humming right now, why would I

466
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,840
Speaker 1: go at Alabama? And you know, jokes on me. Two

467
00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,479
Speaker 1: years later they're holding a national title trophy and you know,

468
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,119
Speaker 1: I never got to play on that. So it's it's

469
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,920
Speaker 1: funny how recruiting works that way. You were from born

470
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,960
Speaker 1: and raised in Florida, right, Yes, So so that's either

471
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,479
Speaker 1: your junior senior year, You're a really big deal for kicker, right,

472
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,000
Speaker 1: I mean, is every team could you have gone anywhere?

473
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,879
Speaker 1: Like Urban Myers at Florida at the time, Pete Carrolls

474
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,680
Speaker 1: at USC like are they coming after you? Absolutely? That's

475
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:44,560
Speaker 1: I was kind of in the golden age of like

476
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,960
Speaker 1: high school kicking scholarships too. We had just started to

477
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,920
Speaker 1: have all those showcase programs where college coaches could actually

478
00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,600
Speaker 1: come out and watch you at a showcase and offer

479
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,480
Speaker 1: you on the spot. I know they can't do that now, Um,

480
00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:58,480
Speaker 1: the rules have changed. But you're saying it was just

481
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,479
Speaker 1: kickers that like this camp, just kicking kickers, like kickers

482
00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,119
Speaker 1: and punters showcase, and I mean you'd have fifteen to

483
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:07,240
Speaker 1: twenty guys get offered at that showcase. And I mean

484
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,800
Speaker 1: nowadays you get fifteen or twenty offers nationally year round

485
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,399
Speaker 1: for a kicking class. So it's I was definitely in

486
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,119
Speaker 1: that golden age of like, even if you were just

487
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,000
Speaker 1: above average, you were going to get an offer for

488
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,840
Speaker 1: scholarship to a big school. But I was fortunate enough

489
00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,160
Speaker 1: where I was. I was pretty elite, and I just

490
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,679
Speaker 1: remembered that the recruiting process was insane. How did you

491
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,639
Speaker 1: decide on going to Georgia? I want to play in

492
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,879
Speaker 1: the SEC, and I actually my my goal was I

493
00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:34,040
Speaker 1: wanted to play the pros. And I went and looked

494
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,879
Speaker 1: at what schools kicked the most, what guys, you know,

495
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,880
Speaker 1: had a good track record of putting kickers in the pros.

496
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:44,479
Speaker 1: And played good football, and Georgia kind of fit all

497
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,439
Speaker 1: those things for me. Um, so yeah, it was. It

498
00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,520
Speaker 1: was always a goal for me to take kicking from

499
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,439
Speaker 1: college to the pros, So I definitely let that factor

500
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,080
Speaker 1: into my decision. Was there like a welcome to the

501
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,479
Speaker 1: SEC moment in a game when you were young, You're like,

502
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,800
Speaker 1: holy sh it, this isn't high s wool anymore. I

503
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,640
Speaker 1: remember we were playing you can't be as a true

504
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,920
Speaker 1: fresh Like, did you start right away? Yeah? I kicked

505
00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:08,400
Speaker 1: as a as a true freshman. Um. We're playing Tim

506
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,960
Speaker 1: Tebow and Jacksonville in uh in the world's largest outdoor

507
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,480
Speaker 1: cocktail party, and me and a couple of other kickers

508
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 1: are just stretching and I have my head down and

509
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,800
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I hear this huge roar and

510
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:23,399
Speaker 1: I don't even really pick my head up. I just

511
00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,879
Speaker 1: looked to the left and I see this big, like

512
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 1: almost lineman looking leg running by me with a knee

513
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,520
Speaker 1: brace on, and I'm just like, what's going on. I

514
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:33,040
Speaker 1: flipped my head all the way up and it's Tim

515
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,320
Speaker 1: Tebow and I was just like, well, they don't make

516
00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,080
Speaker 1: guys like that in high school. And I mean, he

517
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:39,959
Speaker 1: just continued to run all over us that day, and

518
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,840
Speaker 1: I don't think we succored ten points. So and you guys,

519
00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 1: I mean, you guys during that era when you were there,

520
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,720
Speaker 1: had ton of pros and were loaded, and Florida was

521
00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:50,919
Speaker 1: just I mean, they might go down as one of

522
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,280
Speaker 1: the all time great like two or three year stretches. Right,

523
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:56,560
Speaker 1: that team was even more loaded. They were so unbeatable.

524
00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,320
Speaker 1: They were just you know, they were humming, and they

525
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:00,720
Speaker 1: had more pros than we did and we had a

526
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 1: ton um. Yeah, our school was always known for having

527
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,840
Speaker 1: a ton of guys drafted and a lot of talented

528
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,439
Speaker 1: guys that always didn't reach their potential in college but

529
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:10,880
Speaker 1: got drafted and then kind of crushed it in the pro.

530
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,119
Speaker 1: So I think we take pride in that. So you

531
00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 1: said you want to be a pro going into college

532
00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:16,920
Speaker 1: and then you're playing and all these guys are getting

533
00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,960
Speaker 1: drafted every year, but those guys are receivers, quarterbacks, lineman. Right,

534
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:23,719
Speaker 1: it was there a moment that Mark Rick or your

535
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: special team's coach. You know, obviously you dream about doing it,

536
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:28,919
Speaker 1: but when does it kick in? Like I can be

537
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,960
Speaker 1: an NFL kicker while you're playing in college. I mean

538
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:34,479
Speaker 1: Mark rit kind of brought me into his office when

539
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:36,440
Speaker 1: I was a true freshman and I had won the job,

540
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,800
Speaker 1: and he just we had a conversation and a great man,

541
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,199
Speaker 1: great human being. He's everything that he preaches to be,

542
00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:46,080
Speaker 1: which is very rare in this world. He just kind

543
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:47,640
Speaker 1: out of a a conversation with me, and it was like, look,

544
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,960
Speaker 1: if you want to be a professional, there are certain

545
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,640
Speaker 1: things that you have to sacrifice in college to get

546
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,919
Speaker 1: to that level. And remember that conversation hit home for me,

547
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:57,240
Speaker 1: and I kind of just took off from there. And

548
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,800
Speaker 1: it wasn't always smooth. You had your your bad days,

549
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,960
Speaker 1: bad games, and and good games. But I always stuck

550
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,560
Speaker 1: back to that conversation when he told me that I

551
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 1: won the job and that I could really take this

552
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:09,720
Speaker 1: to the next level because he'd seen tons of guys

553
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 1: do it. So that really meant the world to me

554
00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,440
Speaker 1: at that point. Did you ever have any like quote

555
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,320
Speaker 1: unquote devastating mrs in college that costs you guys a

556
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,240
Speaker 1: big SEC game. I mean, my last chick in college

557
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,360
Speaker 1: was to uh had made two to keep extending the game.

558
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 1: The third one was to extend it further, and I

559
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,480
Speaker 1: missed it. So my last college kiss kick was a

560
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,240
Speaker 1: was a game winner that I missed, So it's not

561
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,560
Speaker 1: the best way to go. But knowing that motivation Bowl game, Yeah,

562
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,960
Speaker 1: who you guys playing Kirk Cousins in the Michigan States

563
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:45,119
Speaker 1: sparkan small world. So college, you know you're done, You're

564
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:50,360
Speaker 1: going into the draft process? Uh do you go combined?

565
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 1: Invite you expect to get drafted? How kind of what

566
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:54,280
Speaker 1: was that process like? That's probably has to be a

567
00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,080
Speaker 1: pretty big whirl win from going to the SEC to

568
00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,840
Speaker 1: kind of thrown into that pressure cooker. Right, Well, it's

569
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,080
Speaker 1: funny you said that though. That's what I liked about

570
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:03,119
Speaker 1: the SEC is that it kind of was a pressure cooker.

571
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,960
Speaker 1: We never had games that didn't matter, So I wasn't

572
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,879
Speaker 1: in one of these conferences where you're playing two to

573
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:09,959
Speaker 1: three games a year that matter. In the SEC, almost

574
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:13,080
Speaker 1: every single one of them is big time. And I

575
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:15,040
Speaker 1: found it funny that when I went to the pros,

576
00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 1: the crowd and the atmosphere was so much less intense actually,

577
00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,280
Speaker 1: whereas you get these guys from mid range and smaller

578
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,400
Speaker 1: school and they're like, oh my gosh, the NFL. That's

579
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 1: you know what, you know what's funny about that is

580
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,359
Speaker 1: Phil Savage, who was a GM in the league and

581
00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:29,320
Speaker 1: worked for Rozzy K. Newsom forever and now he's on

582
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,040
Speaker 1: Joe Douglas. Staff told me when he was at GM,

583
00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,119
Speaker 1: he'd see all these guys that they had just drafted.

584
00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:37,320
Speaker 1: Are young players be super nervous for preseason games? And

585
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:38,880
Speaker 1: he'd walk up to him, He's like, you played at

586
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,440
Speaker 1: L s U. He's like, you played at Florida. They're

587
00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:43,400
Speaker 1: gonna be half the stands as a preseason game. No

588
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,640
Speaker 1: one even cares, like why are you nervous? Like you've

589
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,360
Speaker 1: played in games that trump this, You've played in spring

590
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,080
Speaker 1: games that matter more than this, right, it's wild? See yes,

591
00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,640
Speaker 1: I mean yeah, you have spring games. It was people

592
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:56,320
Speaker 1: in the stands and you're gone, this feels like a

593
00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,040
Speaker 1: regular game. And then you go to the pros and

594
00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,840
Speaker 1: there's thirty five and you're going, I can't you know,

595
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,800
Speaker 1: we can. We can lose four of these and still

596
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:04,800
Speaker 1: make the playoffs, like you lose one in college or

597
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:10,400
Speaker 1: years done. Yeah. So, then leading up to before the draft,

598
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,040
Speaker 1: did you expect to be picked? Where were you thinking?

599
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:14,960
Speaker 1: Did you have a good idea of like the teams

600
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:16,960
Speaker 1: that were interested, or was it just kind of we'll

601
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,400
Speaker 1: see where the chips may fall. It's kind of an

602
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,480
Speaker 1: interesting year. I came off before senior season, which was

603
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,760
Speaker 1: obviously capped by that miss, and so I knew that

604
00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 1: when I went to the combine and all these other

605
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,840
Speaker 1: individual workouts that I had to crush it to kind

606
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 1: of get my quote unquote draft stock back. Is that

607
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,120
Speaker 1: because you were pressing going in knowing the draft was

608
00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,960
Speaker 1: kind of coming. Yeah, I would. I would definitely tribute

609
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,160
Speaker 1: that to the senior year thing, um, because I I

610
00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,280
Speaker 1: toyed around coming out after my junior year because I

611
00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,080
Speaker 1: felt like I was ready to go, and I just,

612
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:47,040
Speaker 1: you know, I was ultimately, you know, convinced to come

613
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,200
Speaker 1: back and try to work on my thing or work

614
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,920
Speaker 1: on my technique and everything. But do you think you're

615
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,880
Speaker 1: looking back if you would come out after junior year

616
00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:55,160
Speaker 1: you would have been because you were six round pick.

617
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:56,720
Speaker 1: Would you have been picked higher than that or probably

618
00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,920
Speaker 1: around the same. I guess it's hard to say. I

619
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:00,360
Speaker 1: think the way I look at it, if I had

620
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:02,280
Speaker 1: come out after my junior year, I don't think I

621
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,240
Speaker 1: was actually ready. So I think the senior year struggles

622
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 1: and the senior year up and down really good games,

623
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,960
Speaker 1: really bad games kind of prepared me for life in

624
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,080
Speaker 1: the NFL. So I've I've thought about that to this day.

625
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,640
Speaker 1: I'm not exactly sure if I left after my junior

626
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:17,880
Speaker 1: year I would have the same success that I had

627
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,640
Speaker 1: after leaving after your senior But I knew going into

628
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,040
Speaker 1: all these individual workouts and you know where they're bringing

629
00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,800
Speaker 1: the special teams, coach and sometimes the GM. I knew

630
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,040
Speaker 1: that going into these workouts that was gonna have to

631
00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,120
Speaker 1: I was going to make a team quote unquote fall

632
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,400
Speaker 1: in love with me and say, hey, that's our guy.

633
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,120
Speaker 1: And so I treated each one of these workouts like

634
00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,080
Speaker 1: it was game day. And you know, you end up

635
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,240
Speaker 1: having ten to twelve. You kind of get a good

636
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,080
Speaker 1: idea of who's interested. But um, I'm sure you've heard

637
00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:47,440
Speaker 1: this before. They the team you think is the most

638
00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,120
Speaker 1: interested going into draft day is never the one that drafts,

639
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,560
Speaker 1: you know. And so I had I had four teams.

640
00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:53,800
Speaker 1: I was like, it's gonna be one of these four

641
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,040
Speaker 1: teams that drafts men. Little do now I got drafted

642
00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:57,880
Speaker 1: by the team that was not in those four. So

643
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,400
Speaker 1: it's just funny. What was the moment would get in

644
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,560
Speaker 1: the call? Like, I mean that had to be, you know,

645
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,280
Speaker 1: probably one of the most special things you'll ever have

646
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,920
Speaker 1: in your life. Right. Absolutely. I've seen my mom get

647
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,400
Speaker 1: very emotional only a few times in my life regarding sports,

648
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:11,880
Speaker 1: and that was one for me where I was like, wow,

649
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,360
Speaker 1: she you know, she's seeing a dream of mind come

650
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,120
Speaker 1: to a realization. And it's just it's an emotional moment.

651
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,400
Speaker 1: You know, I didn't want to have a big party

652
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,360
Speaker 1: or gathering or get together because you know, you hear

653
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,320
Speaker 1: those stories of guys who do it and don't get drafted,

654
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:28,120
Speaker 1: and it's also not really in my personality, but it's

655
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,000
Speaker 1: just it's a really special moment. And and for all

656
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:32,760
Speaker 1: the guys who have been drafted, we all probably have

657
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,520
Speaker 1: the same thing. It's a moment of validation by the

658
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,440
Speaker 1: NFL and you feel that like, hey, I actually do

659
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,600
Speaker 1: belong in this league. Yeah, I'd say first crazy as

660
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:43,760
Speaker 1: like the NFL once you're in it. In the business

661
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,960
Speaker 1: aspect of people getting cut and coaches getting fired, it

662
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,360
Speaker 1: is probably just one of the purest couple three day

663
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,200
Speaker 1: stretches in the league where it's just teams are excited

664
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:54,040
Speaker 1: to have a guy, guys are excited to be there.

665
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,880
Speaker 1: It's just very kind of like, you know, you go

666
00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,400
Speaker 1: back to like Little League or you know, Junior pewees

667
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,440
Speaker 1: or whatever, just feels very pure and natural. Then once

668
00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:03,680
Speaker 1: you get to O T, A S and stuff, it

669
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,600
Speaker 1: just completely changes again. But you're no longer a draft

670
00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:08,360
Speaker 1: pick at O T as You're you're the lowest guy

671
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,239
Speaker 1: in the totem pole rookie. That's what your job is.

672
00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,680
Speaker 1: So you get drafted. They had just released was it

673
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,040
Speaker 1: Ryan Longwell was the kicker? Right? And so you know,

674
00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,280
Speaker 1: sometimes a late round pick at other positions, you never

675
00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:19,760
Speaker 1: know if you're gonna make the team. Are you thinking

676
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:21,560
Speaker 1: right away I'm the starting kicker. Are you go into

677
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 1: camp thinking I gotta earn the position? What would they

678
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,160
Speaker 1: tell you? Yeah? I thought that I still have to

679
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,160
Speaker 1: earn it. And our head coach was Leslie Frasier at

680
00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 1: the time, who is one of my favorite people going UM.

681
00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,960
Speaker 1: Coach Fraser told me when I was a rookie, said, look,

682
00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,480
Speaker 1: we released Ryan Longwell, who was an excellent kicker with

683
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,440
Speaker 1: an excellent career. He's like, we released him not because

684
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:43,840
Speaker 1: we we thought you were necessarily straight up better than him.

685
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:45,440
Speaker 1: We released him because we want you to get all

686
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,240
Speaker 1: the opportunities in camp, in O t A s in

687
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 1: preseason games. We want you to have as many live

688
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,720
Speaker 1: reps as possible going into our you know, our first

689
00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,400
Speaker 1: opening game. And so I always appreciated that, and I

690
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:58,960
Speaker 1: think that's probably the way if I were a special

691
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,600
Speaker 1: team's coach, head coach, general manager, That's how I would

692
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,760
Speaker 1: do it. For a young guy that I drafted, I'd

693
00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,040
Speaker 1: want him to get as many opportunities as possible rather

694
00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:11,120
Speaker 1: than compete against player B who's probably not on his level. Um.

695
00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:12,960
Speaker 1: And so for me, I just I always felt like

696
00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:15,080
Speaker 1: I still have to earn the job though, because he

697
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,720
Speaker 1: basically told me you still have to earn it. You know.

698
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:19,520
Speaker 1: You bring up that word rep, and I think a

699
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,320
Speaker 1: lot of people in football say it a lot. When

700
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:23,200
Speaker 1: I say the word you get a rep. Does that

701
00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,480
Speaker 1: for a kick or does that mean a kick? Does

702
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,640
Speaker 1: that mean? What does that mean to you? Yeah, a

703
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,520
Speaker 1: singular kick, Yeah, that's how we look at it too,

704
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,600
Speaker 1: but necessarily like a lot, like a live kick eleven

705
00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,959
Speaker 1: on eleven or could it be yeah to to expand

706
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,800
Speaker 1: on that, Yes, a REP for us is like a

707
00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,160
Speaker 1: live snap holding kick while there's protection and blocking coming

708
00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:46,280
Speaker 1: at you. So in practice you usually do it two

709
00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,040
Speaker 1: to three times a week and you probably get a

710
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,480
Speaker 1: total of twenty reps. And so that was his whole

711
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:51,960
Speaker 1: point was that if I bring another guy in here,

712
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,760
Speaker 1: I'm cutting those twenty reps in half. And that's you know,

713
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,120
Speaker 1: that's not enough to really see how good you are

714
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,800
Speaker 1: and really get you prepared. You the kickoff guy too,

715
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,400
Speaker 1: kickoff guy to. So so how do you balance would

716
00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:04,840
Speaker 1: you say field goals, Like what's the ratio there of

717
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,360
Speaker 1: focus on kicking field goals to kicking off? You kick

718
00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,040
Speaker 1: off much less because there's such a wide range of

719
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,359
Speaker 1: variability from misses and kickoffs, Like you could miss hit

720
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:14,839
Speaker 1: one and it can still go eight deep and it's

721
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,640
Speaker 1: a touch back. You miss hit a field goal, it's missed. Um.

722
00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:23,000
Speaker 1: So for us, you practice kickoffs much much more infrequently.

723
00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:25,319
Speaker 1: And uh, it's also much more of a violent motion,

724
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,600
Speaker 1: which I don't think people will realize. To get the

725
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:29,840
Speaker 1: ball down the field seventy five yards, you have to

726
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,800
Speaker 1: really get pretty violent with your swing and your form,

727
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,879
Speaker 1: whereas field goals is much more of a composed thing

728
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,120
Speaker 1: and a much more rhythm and tempo. Remember when I

729
00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,359
Speaker 1: left Fresno State to get to the NFL, The one

730
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,280
Speaker 1: thing that's pretty jarring, and you know this at Georgia

731
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:46,560
Speaker 1: is like in college, guys don't come and go right

732
00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,000
Speaker 1: your team going and you guys get injured or whatever.

733
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,080
Speaker 1: But your squad, your hunter Man squad or hundred five

734
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,160
Speaker 1: guys are your squad. What you get to an NFL

735
00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,399
Speaker 1: training camp, guys are going in and out and kind

736
00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:00,640
Speaker 1: of workouts. Was that experience I opening you just dead

737
00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,640
Speaker 1: focused on making kicks? What what was the you remember

738
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,920
Speaker 1: your first training camp and just the whirlwind that that was,

739
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,520
Speaker 1: especially being a you know, a drafted rookie kicker. Yeah,

740
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,320
Speaker 1: I definitely remember the first training camp and they and

741
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,080
Speaker 1: they and seeing these guys each day. You know, you

742
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,800
Speaker 1: have three or four guys get cut and then the

743
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,040
Speaker 1: next thing you know, three or four new guys are in.

744
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,960
Speaker 1: You're like, wait, what happened to my R five? On kickoff?

745
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:22,799
Speaker 1: You're like, oh, he was released yesterday, and you're just

746
00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:24,719
Speaker 1: like hum. You know, whereas in college you've got you know,

747
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,680
Speaker 1: guys there for four or five years. And I think

748
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:31,360
Speaker 1: the thing that's understated about the NFL compared to college

749
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,320
Speaker 1: is we were talking about this earlier on the intensity

750
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,360
Speaker 1: level in college and never really feel like people's jobs

751
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,319
Speaker 1: are on the line because at the end of the year,

752
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,320
Speaker 1: coaches are assessed, and you know, players don't get cut

753
00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:46,439
Speaker 1: in college. In the NFL, you're always like, man, we're

754
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:50,080
Speaker 1: one or two bad week stretches away from players getting cut,

755
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,440
Speaker 1: coaches getting fired. And that brings a different type of

756
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:57,000
Speaker 1: intensity to the NFL that college lacks. I would say, So,

757
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,840
Speaker 1: when in that camp were you officially told that you

758
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,920
Speaker 1: or the starting kicker? Uh? When final cuts were mad

759
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,480
Speaker 1: after the fourth preseason game, was there was there another

760
00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,240
Speaker 1: kicker there? Or did you have a pretty good idea?

761
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,520
Speaker 1: So you know that, like you were, probably had a

762
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,719
Speaker 1: good show, right And well the thing for me too

763
00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,719
Speaker 1: is that I had had just an average preseason. We

764
00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:18,239
Speaker 1: didn't have a lot of attempts, and the only and

765
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,320
Speaker 1: the only couple long ones we had I had missed.

766
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:23,040
Speaker 1: So I had confidence going into the first week, but

767
00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,839
Speaker 1: not you know, an over abundance of confidence. So um,

768
00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:27,560
Speaker 1: when they told me that I was actually going to

769
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,200
Speaker 1: be the guy, that definitely boosted me. Well, then you

770
00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:33,920
Speaker 1: took that confidence. You were a pro bowler. You were

771
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,920
Speaker 1: according to uh Wikipedia, you went ten of ten on

772
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,920
Speaker 1: fifty plus yard field goals how do you go from

773
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,120
Speaker 1: just kind of having a shaky senior year preseason to

774
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,280
Speaker 1: having a Pro Bowl rookie season that in the NFL.

775
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:48,560
Speaker 1: How does that happen? It's just a lot of self

776
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,040
Speaker 1: belief in a lot of work, and I think I

777
00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,800
Speaker 1: think having that bad senior year kind of put it

778
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,560
Speaker 1: in perspective for me of how how close this dream

779
00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,560
Speaker 1: is to not becoming a reality. And so I felt

780
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:02,120
Speaker 1: that every day that I walked in It sounds corny,

781
00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:03,799
Speaker 1: but I felt that every day I walked into that

782
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:08,400
Speaker 1: really old and rickety Minnesota Vikings facility, that it was

783
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,680
Speaker 1: a it was a privilege, and it was something that

784
00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,120
Speaker 1: I just was honored to be a part of. And

785
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:14,680
Speaker 1: so the next thing you know, you know, you're playing

786
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 1: in your first game. You're like, this is a reality

787
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,560
Speaker 1: now for me, Um, how do I continue to stay

788
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:21,960
Speaker 1: here and have success? So would you say were you

789
00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:23,840
Speaker 1: getting better coaching? Were you any better? Or was it

790
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:26,960
Speaker 1: just the mentality you think and the confidence mentality. It's

791
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,640
Speaker 1: also easier in the pros when your entire job as football,

792
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:31,200
Speaker 1: So like you get there at seven thirty in the

793
00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 1: morning for a meeting, I don't have to leave the

794
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:35,359
Speaker 1: facility until I feel that my day is done. I'm

795
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:40,040
Speaker 1: not leaving the facility for classes, uh, you know, group projects, nothing.

796
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:42,080
Speaker 1: I'm literally there for as long as I want to

797
00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:45,160
Speaker 1: get as better as as I want. And I love

798
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,640
Speaker 1: that aspect of the fact that you can really just

799
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,920
Speaker 1: grind away and find different ways to get better. And

800
00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:52,960
Speaker 1: as my years progressed and sports science got better, you

801
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:58,200
Speaker 1: found different avenues to recover quicker, get stronger, eat better everything.

802
00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:00,719
Speaker 1: So for a kicker, like what you know, I think

803
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,200
Speaker 1: most people, the casual fan knows the players go to

804
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:05,319
Speaker 1: they go to film, they go to practice, they hate

805
00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:06,879
Speaker 1: a little bit, they come back, they watch a little

806
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:09,919
Speaker 1: more film. I have a good idea, but like tell

807
00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,040
Speaker 1: just people that are listening, like, what what is it

808
00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,200
Speaker 1: like on a Wednesday, first day of practice? The team

809
00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:16,560
Speaker 1: gets what's your day? Like? What time you getting there?

810
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,000
Speaker 1: What are you doing? What kind of film are you want?

811
00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:22,040
Speaker 1: What are you looking for on film? What's what are

812
00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 1: you doing for us? And we would get there. We

813
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,480
Speaker 1: always made it a habit and I spearhead of this

814
00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:28,880
Speaker 1: is that I wanted to be in all of the

815
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:31,719
Speaker 1: special teams meetings, not just field goal and kickoff. I

816
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,400
Speaker 1: wanted to be in the punt punt return UM kickoff returns.

817
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,399
Speaker 1: So I could kind of at least show the other

818
00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,360
Speaker 1: guys in the team, any other guys in the special

819
00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,719
Speaker 1: teams that hey, everything that I could be part of,

820
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,120
Speaker 1: I'm here for UM. But after our meetings, we would

821
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:47,799
Speaker 1: usually go work out, because that's where everybody else goes

822
00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,920
Speaker 1: to their specific position meetings and they break down film

823
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:52,760
Speaker 1: and break down what they have to do for that

824
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,520
Speaker 1: that game day or that practice day. We would go

825
00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:58,040
Speaker 1: work out and get that in and get that done,

826
00:38:58,080 --> 00:38:59,520
Speaker 1: and then we would figure out what we have to

827
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:03,720
Speaker 1: do for practice at that point. But once practice started,

828
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:05,400
Speaker 1: we were always kind of in our own world. We

829
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,680
Speaker 1: were always on a different field, trying to find space,

830
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:11,799
Speaker 1: trying to get enough reps in before our actual live

831
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:15,360
Speaker 1: reps in practice. UM. So yeah, like you mentioned earlier,

832
00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,840
Speaker 1: we're never hitting, We're never you know, part of the

833
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,239
Speaker 1: weird team stretches, none of that. We're just kind of

834
00:39:20,239 --> 00:39:22,760
Speaker 1: in our own world. Was there a pretty stark difference

835
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:26,839
Speaker 1: of when obviously Leslie's personality than when then Zimmer comes

836
00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:30,000
Speaker 1: in for you, Like, was it a different field, different vibe.

837
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,520
Speaker 1: I know you just here and you talk pretty serious

838
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:34,480
Speaker 1: about your job, not a screw around guy. So I'm

839
00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:36,840
Speaker 1: guys like that appreciate it. But it does feel like

840
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,880
Speaker 1: there's a different intensity that Mike Zimmer walks into the

841
00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,839
Speaker 1: building with every day than maybe Leslie Fraser. Definitely different intensity.

842
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,279
Speaker 1: But I mean, obviously both very good at what they do,

843
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:49,360
Speaker 1: just in different forms. Leslie was much more calming and

844
00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:53,320
Speaker 1: much more you know, of a figurehead presence, and um,

845
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,279
Speaker 1: you know, Mike was obviously much more involved in the

846
00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:58,200
Speaker 1: defense and was definitely more intense. But both are really

847
00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:00,880
Speaker 1: good coaches and are at excellent what they do. Um.

848
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:02,759
Speaker 1: But for for guys like us, we don't try to

849
00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,719
Speaker 1: get too caught up in that because it doesn't change

850
00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:06,960
Speaker 1: our job at all. Nope, the head coach is not

851
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:08,959
Speaker 1: changing how you kick a field. Well, they're not changing

852
00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:11,279
Speaker 1: your kickoff scheme, none of that. So we have to

853
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:14,000
Speaker 1: kind of literally live in our own secluded world of

854
00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:17,759
Speaker 1: how we approach our job. And then you go on,

855
00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,120
Speaker 1: I think at two thousand fifteen, you sign a contract

856
00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:21,799
Speaker 1: to be one of the highest paid kickers in the league,

857
00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,759
Speaker 1: so your career is going really well. Uh, and I

858
00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,600
Speaker 1: would say, you know, you guys go on to have

859
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:28,799
Speaker 1: a really good team with Teddy Bridgewater and you're playing

860
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:31,640
Speaker 1: in the playoff game. That's it's kind of crazy, right

861
00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:33,520
Speaker 1: because you guys have this new stadium coming, so you're

862
00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 1: playing outdoors. Remember Camp Chancellor said he had frostbite on

863
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:40,359
Speaker 1: his fingers after that game. Uh, I was, I had

864
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:42,239
Speaker 1: forgotten kind of had the way that game played out.

865
00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:44,520
Speaker 1: You were three or three before that, you know, the

866
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:47,719
Speaker 1: game ending. What's it like just just being in that game?

867
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,400
Speaker 1: How cold it was? You know what? What was it

868
00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:51,960
Speaker 1: like sitting and for you you don't you know, you

869
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:53,960
Speaker 1: don't play that much, so you're on the sideline a lot.

870
00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,959
Speaker 1: Was that the coldest thing you've ever experienced in your life? Ever?

871
00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,720
Speaker 1: And we were fortunate the week before we had played

872
00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:02,839
Speaker 1: the Giants and it was I want to say, like

873
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:04,880
Speaker 1: in the single digits to kickoff, so we had a

874
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:07,080
Speaker 1: little bit. It wasn't minus seven, but it was in

875
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:10,919
Speaker 1: the in the single digits. Honestly, the hardest part about

876
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,520
Speaker 1: that game was not the game, It was the warm

877
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,160
Speaker 1: up because in the warm up you want to stay

878
00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:15,920
Speaker 1: on the field for about you know, twenty to thirty

879
00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:19,239
Speaker 1: minutes warming up and getting your your rhythm down. And

880
00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:20,720
Speaker 1: for I was talking like two and a half hours

881
00:41:20,719 --> 00:41:22,480
Speaker 1: before the game and a half hours for the game. Yeah,

882
00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:25,080
Speaker 1: it was so cold that you would go out to

883
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:28,000
Speaker 1: kick a ball and then you have to quickly kick

884
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:29,759
Speaker 1: another one, and then you have to run back to

885
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:32,480
Speaker 1: the heater because you were losing feeling in your extremities

886
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:34,600
Speaker 1: and you're like, you know, I'm never going to do

887
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,759
Speaker 1: that in the game, so why would I practice that pregame? Um?

888
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,360
Speaker 1: So that was the biggest pain in the butt, was

889
00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,440
Speaker 1: just running back and forth from the heater to the

890
00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:44,120
Speaker 1: field to get the warm up process in. And that's

891
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:45,520
Speaker 1: when you kind of knew that the whole day was

892
00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:49,480
Speaker 1: going to be an attrition of wants it more? You

893
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:51,759
Speaker 1: had made kicks that game. How were you staying warm

894
00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:53,640
Speaker 1: on the sideline? You just stand by the heater with

895
00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,200
Speaker 1: your foot your hands. I mean, what what's just living on?

896
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:59,359
Speaker 1: Just living on the heater. Um. They'd heat a benches too,

897
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:02,400
Speaker 1: which is gray. Um, always trying to move, that's the

898
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:04,399
Speaker 1: biggest thing. You can't sit still when you're in cold

899
00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:06,799
Speaker 1: weather or else. It just makes it worse. But yeah,

900
00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:09,920
Speaker 1: living on the heater, it was so I've told the

901
00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,440
Speaker 1: story for it was so cold that and I stood

902
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,719
Speaker 1: in front of the heater so much that my leg

903
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:17,640
Speaker 1: hair burned onto my tights. So when I took my

904
00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:21,840
Speaker 1: tights off, patches of hair just came off, and it

905
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:24,520
Speaker 1: just was. It was one of those brutally, brutally cold days.

906
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,040
Speaker 1: So if if you're having a kick, if we use

907
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:28,880
Speaker 1: the golf analogy, like if you make a put on

908
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,719
Speaker 1: hole eight, it does feel a lot different than the

909
00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,920
Speaker 1: whole eight team unless your last hole, right, if the

910
00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:36,120
Speaker 1: money's online? Do you feel a lot different when you

911
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:37,920
Speaker 1: come into a game in a situation like in that

912
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,080
Speaker 1: playoff game and you kick game winners before and this

913
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,440
Speaker 1: game winners or whatever? Like you said in college, do

914
00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:45,160
Speaker 1: you feel obviously a playoff game, the intensity of that moment,

915
00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:48,960
Speaker 1: but it's also freezing cold? Uh? Like, what are you

916
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:50,600
Speaker 1: thinking when you go out there? Because you had already

917
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,560
Speaker 1: made kicks that day? You feel good? I would imagine, right, Yeah,

918
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:55,560
Speaker 1: you feel good. You feel like, you know, especially being

919
00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:57,520
Speaker 1: three for three, you walk into the kick going, you know,

920
00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:01,239
Speaker 1: full of confidence. And I think the cool thing about

921
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:05,320
Speaker 1: game winners is that each year rare opportunity to actually

922
00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,840
Speaker 1: change the game with your one single play. You know,

923
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:10,560
Speaker 1: you're not a quarterback, You're not running back. You're not

924
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:13,000
Speaker 1: on defense, you can't you don't always have that opportunity

925
00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:16,399
Speaker 1: to have the spectacular game winning play. And so that's

926
00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,200
Speaker 1: what game winning kicks are for us, is that it's

927
00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:21,000
Speaker 1: our opportunity to you know, come out of the obscurity

928
00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,440
Speaker 1: and kind of show what we can do. UM. So

929
00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:25,440
Speaker 1: for me, it was, you know, it was obviously devastating

930
00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:29,080
Speaker 1: that kick didn't go my way and I didn't make it. Um.

931
00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:31,600
Speaker 1: I think the toughest part about those moments is that

932
00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:34,680
Speaker 1: you feel as if you let your team down. You

933
00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:38,080
Speaker 1: don't care about necessarily the outside factors. You care more

934
00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:40,040
Speaker 1: about the fact that you've got guys that are, you know,

935
00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:42,759
Speaker 1: grinding throughout the entire game, putting their bodies on the

936
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,160
Speaker 1: line to win the game. And then there you are,

937
00:43:45,239 --> 00:43:47,880
Speaker 1: You've had five or six reps and that last one

938
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,799
Speaker 1: doesn't go your way. That's the toughest part to get

939
00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:52,919
Speaker 1: over is that, you know, is to make yourself feel

940
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:54,439
Speaker 1: like you're part of the team again after that, that's

941
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:56,560
Speaker 1: the toughest part, and it takes a lot of good

942
00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,080
Speaker 1: teammates and a lot of good human beings to kind

943
00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:01,279
Speaker 1: of help you get through that. Because I remember you know,

944
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,000
Speaker 1: I've been on both sides of him. I've made the

945
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:06,680
Speaker 1: game winner where they're all celebrating the locker room, and

946
00:44:06,719 --> 00:44:07,960
Speaker 1: then I've been on the side when you miss him

947
00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:10,480
Speaker 1: and nobody really wants to talk to you. So it

948
00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:12,520
Speaker 1: just when you're surrounded by great guys, it makes it

949
00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:15,160
Speaker 1: a lot easier, but it's definitely a brutal aspect of

950
00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,000
Speaker 1: our job is that we do rarely have those plays

951
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:22,160
Speaker 1: where it's all eyes on us, you know, make it

952
00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:24,560
Speaker 1: or not. I know, so you go in that locker room,

953
00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:27,640
Speaker 1: obviously everyone's freezing cold, but you just lose a playoff

954
00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:29,879
Speaker 1: game and you feel like, do you feel like you're

955
00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:31,719
Speaker 1: on an island, like everyone's kind of looking at you?

956
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:34,360
Speaker 1: Or I mean, I know it's a team game and

957
00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:36,479
Speaker 1: you know the coaches say it, but you're a human.

958
00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:38,440
Speaker 1: I mean, you just missed the kick. I mean you

959
00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:43,000
Speaker 1: feel like, I just what's that feeling like? I think

960
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:44,759
Speaker 1: the thing that helped me the most was that A,

961
00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:47,400
Speaker 1: there was a lot of good teammates surrounding me, Um

962
00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,160
Speaker 1: and B. I had a really good career with Minnesota,

963
00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:52,080
Speaker 1: so it wasn't like I was some guy who had

964
00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:54,480
Speaker 1: never really proven himself. That just missed in the biggest

965
00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:55,920
Speaker 1: moment of his career. It was more of a long

966
00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:58,560
Speaker 1: the lines of dude, you're really good. You had a

967
00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:01,680
Speaker 1: bad moment, and you can move on from it, and

968
00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:03,799
Speaker 1: so that that helped me mentally move on from it.

969
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,560
Speaker 1: More than anything, was that the guys made me feel like, hey,

970
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:09,520
Speaker 1: you really are still a good kicker and you've had

971
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:12,399
Speaker 1: a great career. How long does that take going into

972
00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:14,560
Speaker 1: next season? Kind of just are you able to block

973
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:16,400
Speaker 1: that out or is that something that kind of lingers

974
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,440
Speaker 1: because you know the way the media is and fans.

975
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:21,160
Speaker 1: I mean, it's the talking point that ship. It never

976
00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:23,080
Speaker 1: goes away. I mean you saw it with the Bears

977
00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:25,440
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. It's just in a playoff

978
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:27,680
Speaker 1: game because so many people are watching it just it

979
00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:30,799
Speaker 1: takes a while to shake it, especially in that home market, right.

980
00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:34,680
Speaker 1: I mean, it's funny it doesn't and I'm sure the

981
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:36,360
Speaker 1: guy the other at the Chicago Kid would tell you the

982
00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:38,279
Speaker 1: the same thing. It doesn't take you a while to

983
00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:41,600
Speaker 1: shake it. It's the process of that. Anytime you don't

984
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:45,880
Speaker 1: have success, that's brought up and that's rationed for the

985
00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:48,280
Speaker 1: reason why you're not having success, And that's the toughest

986
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,640
Speaker 1: part where you're like, hey, this is a different year,

987
00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:52,840
Speaker 1: this is a different kick, that's a different situation, is

988
00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:55,799
Speaker 1: nothing to do with the prior kick. And I think

989
00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:58,880
Speaker 1: that's the most difficult part to move through, is that, hey,

990
00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,240
Speaker 1: whenever you do fail, you're going to have that extra

991
00:46:01,280 --> 00:46:05,840
Speaker 1: bit of attention scrutiny or you know, people trying to

992
00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:07,680
Speaker 1: tell you that it's involved with the last kick and

993
00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:09,920
Speaker 1: it's not. Did you feel like your normal self the

994
00:46:09,960 --> 00:46:12,799
Speaker 1: next season or was that just aready? Go? Yeah? I

995
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:15,000
Speaker 1: felt good. I felt good the moment the first preseason

996
00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:17,000
Speaker 1: kick was made, I was like, sweet, I feel good

997
00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:20,399
Speaker 1: and just started rocking and rolling. And then like, as

998
00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,440
Speaker 1: the season goes on, every time, like you said, if

999
00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:25,840
Speaker 1: you miss one kick, even though you have this entire

1000
00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:30,160
Speaker 1: resume of like I've been good, did it feel like maybe?

1001
00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:32,080
Speaker 1: I mean the media and the fans a little bit

1002
00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:35,759
Speaker 1: were like turning on you. That's not how I ever

1003
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:38,319
Speaker 1: looked at it. Um, I feel like I've had a

1004
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:40,879
Speaker 1: pretty good perspective of this. I think if you want

1005
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:42,160
Speaker 1: to be a kicker in the NFL, you have to

1006
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:43,840
Speaker 1: sign up for that stuff. You have to sign up

1007
00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:45,760
Speaker 1: for the fact that you can be the absolute goat

1008
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:48,279
Speaker 1: in these situations, and you could also be the hero

1009
00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:52,240
Speaker 1: of the situation. So I never looked at it that way. Um.

1010
00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:54,279
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm man enough to say that that next year,

1011
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 1: if I had made more kicks, I'd still be in

1012
00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:58,839
Speaker 1: Minnesota Viking. But I didn't start off as well as

1013
00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:01,799
Speaker 1: I wanted to, and then everything combined with that. You know,

1014
00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:05,560
Speaker 1: I understood why what happened happened. You know what's crazy,

1015
00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:07,840
Speaker 1: And like, I mean, the greatest kicker ever Vinitary was

1016
00:47:07,880 --> 00:47:09,800
Speaker 1: it two years ago, was missing all the extra points

1017
00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:12,319
Speaker 1: and it was a got kowski This year with the

1018
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,480
Speaker 1: Titans was his resume speaks for itself. And he's struggling

1019
00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:19,680
Speaker 1: to make kicks. It's it's like a little bit probably

1020
00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:22,360
Speaker 1: like a corner on an island, but a kicker, because

1021
00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:24,080
Speaker 1: like you're actually either going to score a point or

1022
00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:26,960
Speaker 1: not or you know, three points, just like everyone's kind

1023
00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:30,440
Speaker 1: of watching and the coach. It's it's gotta be a

1024
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,160
Speaker 1: unique pressure. That That's why I'm fascinating talking Like, you know,

1025
00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:36,160
Speaker 1: Carson Palmer told me the one thing he missed about

1026
00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:38,120
Speaker 1: being a quarterback was all the pressure. Every day he

1027
00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:40,840
Speaker 1: walked into the building, just like everyone looks at him

1028
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,600
Speaker 1: as a kicker, it's a little different because you don't

1029
00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:45,000
Speaker 1: not everyone's looking at you every day, but on game day,

1030
00:47:45,239 --> 00:47:47,440
Speaker 1: there's all these situations where they are kind of like

1031
00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:50,960
Speaker 1: you save the drive, saved the game. Is that something

1032
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:52,799
Speaker 1: like you said, they built up through your senior year,

1033
00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:55,040
Speaker 1: but I would imagine on the NFL level that that

1034
00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,440
Speaker 1: just kind of build the calluses. Do you think that

1035
00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:01,080
Speaker 1: senior year experience helped you handle, you know, kind of

1036
00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:03,680
Speaker 1: a shooting situation that just you know, snowballed on you

1037
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:07,400
Speaker 1: in Minnesota? Absolutely? Yeah. And I think that pressure that

1038
00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:10,080
Speaker 1: Dick Carson was speaking about, it's almost becomes an addiction

1039
00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:12,720
Speaker 1: where you're like, I try to find it in my life.

1040
00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:14,320
Speaker 1: That's why I'm continuing to try to play in the

1041
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:16,800
Speaker 1: NFL is that I still have that ability and that talent,

1042
00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:20,960
Speaker 1: and I love that feeling of being part of this pressurized,

1043
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,960
Speaker 1: intense situation where you have to perform in order to

1044
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,040
Speaker 1: help your team, keep your job, have success, whatever it is.

1045
00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:29,400
Speaker 1: And that's a feeling that never really goes away. And

1046
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:31,360
Speaker 1: I know a lot of players that are that transition

1047
00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:34,920
Speaker 1: out continue to talk about how difficult that is to replace,

1048
00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,200
Speaker 1: and for me, it's just, you know, that's the feeling

1049
00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:40,200
Speaker 1: I missed the most about playing in the NFL is

1050
00:48:40,239 --> 00:48:43,680
Speaker 1: that pressure and intensity of you know, everything I do

1051
00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:45,759
Speaker 1: is being looked at and matters, and that that's tough

1052
00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:47,759
Speaker 1: when you're gonna field practicing, you know, in front of

1053
00:48:47,760 --> 00:48:50,680
Speaker 1: a community college by yourself. I've always thought the NFL

1054
00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:53,000
Speaker 1: of the three major sports just because how easy it

1055
00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:55,360
Speaker 1: is to get cut in contracts hurt, even though you

1056
00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:57,640
Speaker 1: guys make way more money than the average guy. It

1057
00:48:57,719 --> 00:48:59,960
Speaker 1: is relatable in the sense that you know, people are

1058
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:01,360
Speaker 1: I've been fired. I know a lot of people that

1059
00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:04,040
Speaker 1: you know go bankrupt or you know, people have tough times.

1060
00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:05,920
Speaker 1: You just lose it all and it's just like you

1061
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:08,359
Speaker 1: either bounce back or you don't. And I think like

1062
00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:10,640
Speaker 1: you are a guy that's high, one the highest bade

1063
00:49:10,680 --> 00:49:12,640
Speaker 1: kickers to you know, a couple of years later you're

1064
00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:14,920
Speaker 1: cut right in the season from Minnesota. I mean that

1065
00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:18,120
Speaker 1: is a relatable thing to a lot of people. You know,

1066
00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:21,160
Speaker 1: I'm just to go through times that you know are

1067
00:49:21,239 --> 00:49:23,440
Speaker 1: a little out of their control, also in their control

1068
00:49:23,560 --> 00:49:25,799
Speaker 1: however you want to put it. But you know, I

1069
00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 1: think that's really makes the NFL unique to I think

1070
00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:31,120
Speaker 1: the fan base of just you know, kind of seeing

1071
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:34,080
Speaker 1: guys highs and lows of their career and like legitimately

1072
00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:36,280
Speaker 1: lose their job. You know. Yeah, I mean, you're spot

1073
00:49:36,280 --> 00:49:37,879
Speaker 1: on on that and the fact that and a lot

1074
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:40,160
Speaker 1: of that has to do with the NFL's contracts and

1075
00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:42,319
Speaker 1: the fact that there's not a lot of guaranteed money

1076
00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:45,719
Speaker 1: tied up in NFL players, So at the moment it

1077
00:49:46,040 --> 00:49:48,280
Speaker 1: kind of goes the wrong way and the team feels

1078
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:50,560
Speaker 1: like they can get out from underneath your contract they do.

1079
00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,680
Speaker 1: Where you look at a sport like baseball that's fully guaranteed,

1080
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:55,920
Speaker 1: they're gonna keep that guy around for as long as

1081
00:49:55,920 --> 00:49:59,240
Speaker 1: possible until he figures it out again because they've already

1082
00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:01,279
Speaker 1: sunk so much my into them and they continue to

1083
00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:03,759
Speaker 1: have to anyway, So whether he's on their team or not,

1084
00:50:03,880 --> 00:50:06,200
Speaker 1: they're still going to pay him or as in the NFL,

1085
00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:09,760
Speaker 1: it's kind of like we've paid you fifty year contract already,

1086
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:12,719
Speaker 1: we're okay with letting the other go because you're struggling

1087
00:50:12,719 --> 00:50:14,880
Speaker 1: for us. So you know, that's the most brutal part

1088
00:50:14,920 --> 00:50:17,839
Speaker 1: about the business, and that's what probably makes us more

1089
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:21,560
Speaker 1: relatable than other professional athletes. And the fact that there's

1090
00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:26,760
Speaker 1: a lot of um volatility in our job in jobs.

1091
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:29,840
Speaker 1: When you got the news that you were being released

1092
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:33,400
Speaker 1: from the Vikings, was it something you saw coming? Was

1093
00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:35,759
Speaker 1: it just to come out of left field? How did

1094
00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:38,600
Speaker 1: you what was that day? Like I mean saw coming

1095
00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:40,600
Speaker 1: to an extent, Like I mentioned earlier, I was not

1096
00:50:40,719 --> 00:50:42,960
Speaker 1: performing well enough to keep my job, so I understood

1097
00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:45,120
Speaker 1: the decision UM, But it's tough. You know, you're with

1098
00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:48,399
Speaker 1: an organization for at that point, almost six years, and

1099
00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:50,960
Speaker 1: you know that they're their organization that drafted you and

1100
00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:53,000
Speaker 1: believed in you, and you've been through this whole process

1101
00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:56,120
Speaker 1: with them, and then you know, nobody prepares you for

1102
00:50:56,120 --> 00:50:57,920
Speaker 1: the fact that one day you're in the facility and

1103
00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,040
Speaker 1: the next day it's over. There's no access to it,

1104
00:51:00,120 --> 00:51:03,799
Speaker 1: there's no nothing. You know, you're almost ostracized immediately. And

1105
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,440
Speaker 1: that's the toughest part about UM when you lose your

1106
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:08,520
Speaker 1: job in the NFL, is that you go from being

1107
00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:12,520
Speaker 1: so involved and so part of this community team based

1108
00:51:12,560 --> 00:51:14,760
Speaker 1: thing to all of a sudden you're on your own again.

1109
00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:16,719
Speaker 1: And that's tough. How long is it taking you kind

1110
00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:19,960
Speaker 1: of gather yourself and realize, like I'm gonna have other opportunities.

1111
00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:21,799
Speaker 1: Did you kick the rest of that year? I know

1112
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:25,520
Speaker 1: the next year in Seattle? But how did that? How

1113
00:51:25,520 --> 00:51:27,240
Speaker 1: does handle it? Because you come in from a position

1114
00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:29,040
Speaker 1: you're one of the highest recruiter kickers in the country,

1115
00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:32,680
Speaker 1: if not the most drafted to highly paid the Pro Bowl,

1116
00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:36,520
Speaker 1: to all of a sudden I have a job. Yeah. Um,

1117
00:51:36,680 --> 00:51:38,920
Speaker 1: for me, I had a couple of offers to go

1118
00:51:39,000 --> 00:51:41,680
Speaker 1: and and kick that year, whether it was to fill

1119
00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:44,719
Speaker 1: in for somebody or replace somebody was struggling, and for me,

1120
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:46,239
Speaker 1: I wanted to take a step back for the rest

1121
00:51:46,239 --> 00:51:47,920
Speaker 1: of that year because there's only about a month left

1122
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 1: in the season, and I wanted to really go into

1123
00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:53,800
Speaker 1: twenty seventeen fully ready to go with a new team

1124
00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:56,160
Speaker 1: with a new scenario, um, and not try to have

1125
00:51:56,239 --> 00:51:58,759
Speaker 1: to replace somebody on the fly or fill in on

1126
00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:01,480
Speaker 1: the fly. Get I knew the next shot was probably

1127
00:52:01,480 --> 00:52:04,000
Speaker 1: gonna be my last real attempt to kind of get

1128
00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:07,440
Speaker 1: the career back, and so that was smart, I think

1129
00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:10,040
Speaker 1: by my by me to to forego that opportunity the

1130
00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:14,239
Speaker 1: rest of and be really ready for So a couple

1131
00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:17,120
Speaker 1: of years later, now, sitting where you're sitting, do you

1132
00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,640
Speaker 1: feel like you expect to still get like a fair

1133
00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:22,640
Speaker 1: shot in an offseason to go to a training camp

1134
00:52:22,719 --> 00:52:24,600
Speaker 1: or is just an unknown like this year you get

1135
00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:26,359
Speaker 1: a shot with the Saints, and then the season ends

1136
00:52:26,360 --> 00:52:28,319
Speaker 1: and then now you're sitting here. It's kind of a

1137
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:30,279
Speaker 1: weird time anyway. I mean for you season not for

1138
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:33,239
Speaker 1: another month, but and who knows what O T A s.

1139
00:52:33,320 --> 00:52:36,920
Speaker 1: But how do you come to grips with like the unknown?

1140
00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:38,799
Speaker 1: I mean the unknown's crazy because you will still want

1141
00:52:38,800 --> 00:52:40,800
Speaker 1: to kick. And the good thing I guess with kickers

1142
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:42,879
Speaker 1: is not the same amount like an other positions come

1143
00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:45,040
Speaker 1: in every year, Like you could easily just all of

1144
00:52:45,080 --> 00:52:46,920
Speaker 1: a sudden be a started kicker this year. It would

1145
00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:48,600
Speaker 1: be hard if some other positions right, if you've been

1146
00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:50,200
Speaker 1: you know, kind of in and out of the league.

1147
00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:53,480
Speaker 1: It's all about opportunity for us. If the right one

1148
00:52:53,560 --> 00:52:55,480
Speaker 1: hits and the and the team as an opening or

1149
00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:57,320
Speaker 1: you know, has a spot for you to come and compete,

1150
00:52:57,360 --> 00:53:00,600
Speaker 1: that's that's the perfect scenario. And for me, like I

1151
00:53:00,640 --> 00:53:01,960
Speaker 1: like I mentioned earlier, I feel like I'm in the

1152
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:04,319
Speaker 1: best shape going and which is such a cliche, but

1153
00:53:04,360 --> 00:53:06,800
Speaker 1: it's the true. It's the truth. Um, Like in the

1154
00:53:06,840 --> 00:53:10,240
Speaker 1: best shape of my career. I feel really good mentally

1155
00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:12,760
Speaker 1: because I'm at the point where like this is all gravy.

1156
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:15,239
Speaker 1: I know I'm still really good and I can still contribute,

1157
00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:17,440
Speaker 1: but I've had a career. I don't have that pressure

1158
00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:19,359
Speaker 1: on myself of like I have to make it, I

1159
00:53:19,360 --> 00:53:21,840
Speaker 1: have to make it for me. It feels like I

1160
00:53:21,880 --> 00:53:23,560
Speaker 1: miss it and I love it and I'm still really

1161
00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:26,040
Speaker 1: good at it and I want that opportunity to continue

1162
00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:28,960
Speaker 1: to do it, but I don't have to make it. Um.

1163
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:32,239
Speaker 1: So that's a good mental, uh mindset for me right now.

1164
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:34,279
Speaker 1: And you know there's some teams that are gonna have

1165
00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:36,960
Speaker 1: some competitions this year, and um, you know, as long

1166
00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:38,160
Speaker 1: as I can get in there and compete, I know

1167
00:53:38,160 --> 00:53:39,640
Speaker 1: I can hold my own with anyone. What do you

1168
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:41,680
Speaker 1: think the hardest part is just getting the call? I

1169
00:53:41,719 --> 00:53:44,880
Speaker 1: mean your resumes, your resume do they just is a

1170
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,920
Speaker 1: kind of luck of the draw at this point, like

1171
00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:50,919
Speaker 1: how did the Saints thing materialize? Uh, it's a little

1172
00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:52,319
Speaker 1: bit of luck of the draw. It's kind of like

1173
00:53:52,360 --> 00:53:54,279
Speaker 1: you know which coaches like you, which I mean you

1174
00:53:54,320 --> 00:53:57,040
Speaker 1: know you've been on staffs, which staffs have you hired

1175
00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:00,239
Speaker 1: greater than other guys that are out there. Um, it

1176
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:02,440
Speaker 1: just it depends on what a team is looking for.

1177
00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:04,400
Speaker 1: If a team needs a guy with a veteran experience

1178
00:54:04,440 --> 00:54:07,240
Speaker 1: that's seen everything, I'm your guy, and I'm still pretty

1179
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:09,080
Speaker 1: young at thirty one. But if a team wants for,

1180
00:54:09,239 --> 00:54:12,120
Speaker 1: you know, to mold a guy and to really develop

1181
00:54:12,120 --> 00:54:14,920
Speaker 1: a guy, then I'm probably not your guy. Um. So

1182
00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:16,799
Speaker 1: it just depends on what a team is looking for

1183
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:21,279
Speaker 1: and what needs I suit for them. So it'll be

1184
00:54:21,320 --> 00:54:23,600
Speaker 1: interesting to see who's who's interested this offseason. Did you

1185
00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:25,600
Speaker 1: rub some elbows with Dan Campbell when you were in

1186
00:54:25,600 --> 00:54:27,640
Speaker 1: New Orleans? He's a head coach? Now, my guy, do

1187
00:54:27,719 --> 00:54:30,400
Speaker 1: stay Dave, phip I, cal Pola. Guys up there too,

1188
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:32,640
Speaker 1: pol guys. I mean when I say in my time

1189
00:54:32,640 --> 00:54:35,600
Speaker 1: in New Orleans, I was almost quarantine in They would

1190
00:54:35,600 --> 00:54:37,960
Speaker 1: allow us in to the facility once a week, twice

1191
00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,960
Speaker 1: a week to just you know, to kick by ourselves.

1192
00:54:41,080 --> 00:54:42,680
Speaker 1: And you know, there was a snapper there with me,

1193
00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:45,400
Speaker 1: so he was he was fun to be with. Um,

1194
00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:48,080
Speaker 1: but it just it was such a unique experience. You

1195
00:54:48,080 --> 00:54:50,759
Speaker 1: never really felt like you're part of them. You know.

1196
00:54:50,880 --> 00:54:54,040
Speaker 1: One big difference between a professional athlete and just a

1197
00:54:54,080 --> 00:54:56,440
Speaker 1: normal person is, you know, they kind of start their

1198
00:54:56,480 --> 00:55:00,360
Speaker 1: career once college ends, right, you just start working whatever

1199
00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:02,160
Speaker 1: industry you're in and kind of work your way up.

1200
00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:04,400
Speaker 1: And it's something for most businesses you can do to

1201
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:07,200
Speaker 1: you know, sixty seven years old your career. Let's just

1202
00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:09,840
Speaker 1: hypothetically say, knock on wood, this doesn't happen if you

1203
00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:12,680
Speaker 1: never play in the NFL again. You start going like,

1204
00:55:13,120 --> 00:55:16,319
Speaker 1: what's my career now? Like? What what does that? How

1205
00:55:16,360 --> 00:55:18,319
Speaker 1: often does that cross? Like? What am I going to do?

1206
00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:20,040
Speaker 1: Is there something that you're passionate about that you want

1207
00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:21,799
Speaker 1: to do? Is it one of those that you want

1208
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:24,719
Speaker 1: to get back into football? Who? You know? What? How

1209
00:55:24,719 --> 00:55:26,799
Speaker 1: do you come to grips with going like, god, this

1210
00:55:26,880 --> 00:55:29,319
Speaker 1: might just be over well, that's the funny thing, as

1211
00:55:29,360 --> 00:55:32,000
Speaker 1: you mentioned it, you're almost in that reverse You're almost

1212
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,680
Speaker 1: like Benjamin Button. You're in that reverse career stage of life.

1213
00:55:34,680 --> 00:55:37,360
Speaker 1: Like when you leave college, you're supposed to try a

1214
00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:39,279
Speaker 1: bunch of things to figure out what you're good at

1215
00:55:39,280 --> 00:55:41,680
Speaker 1: and what you love to do. When I left college,

1216
00:55:41,680 --> 00:55:43,359
Speaker 1: I was thrown into what I love to do and

1217
00:55:43,360 --> 00:55:45,719
Speaker 1: what I am good at. Now that you know you're

1218
00:55:45,719 --> 00:55:47,319
Speaker 1: on the other side of your career could be over.

1219
00:55:47,360 --> 00:55:49,360
Speaker 1: You're kind of trying to figure out what am I

1220
00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:52,600
Speaker 1: good at and what do I want to do? Um

1221
00:55:52,719 --> 00:55:55,000
Speaker 1: So for me, I actually used the whole quarantine time.

1222
00:55:55,080 --> 00:55:56,960
Speaker 1: I was four classes short of my degree, so I

1223
00:55:56,960 --> 00:56:01,200
Speaker 1: went back and got my degree and you know, kind

1224
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:02,680
Speaker 1: of just gonna go from there. I was supposed to

1225
00:56:02,719 --> 00:56:07,319
Speaker 1: do the NFL Broadcast boot camp in uh last Chee

1226
00:56:07,600 --> 00:56:10,959
Speaker 1: last April, and that whole thing was canceled and we'll see,

1227
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:12,440
Speaker 1: We'll see what I'm gonna do next. Well, you got

1228
00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:16,919
Speaker 1: the broadcast hair, I mean, Jay, you definitely could do it.

1229
00:56:17,320 --> 00:56:19,319
Speaker 1: I appreciate that. Well. I mean I was a communications

1230
00:56:19,360 --> 00:56:21,480
Speaker 1: major at Georgia and we did a bunch of on

1231
00:56:21,560 --> 00:56:25,160
Speaker 1: camera work and all that broadcast journalism type stuff. So

1232
00:56:25,239 --> 00:56:27,239
Speaker 1: it's something that I'm interested in. But I don't know,

1233
00:56:27,360 --> 00:56:30,160
Speaker 1: to be honest, Yeah, I mean, I just I wouldn't

1234
00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:32,600
Speaker 1: stop trying to play NFL football until they drag you

1235
00:56:32,680 --> 00:56:35,120
Speaker 1: till your leg falls off the rest of your life

1236
00:56:35,480 --> 00:56:37,640
Speaker 1: or whatever. It's only a finite time that you can

1237
00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:40,560
Speaker 1: do this because your body says says that. Other times,

1238
00:56:40,719 --> 00:56:44,040
Speaker 1: people love telling other people in sports to retire. Like

1239
00:56:44,880 --> 00:56:47,200
Speaker 1: everyone on the outside, we're all jealous. We wish we

1240
00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:49,520
Speaker 1: could just play something for a living, or even attempted,

1241
00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:51,640
Speaker 1: you know. I mean, you know, Tom Brady's playing until

1242
00:56:51,640 --> 00:56:53,200
Speaker 1: the wheels fall off, So I mean the people who

1243
00:56:53,280 --> 00:56:55,719
Speaker 1: keep things is gonna retire, keep waiting. The good thing

1244
00:56:55,719 --> 00:56:58,200
Speaker 1: about kicking, though, is you can kick. You know, it's

1245
00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:00,840
Speaker 1: it is probably the one position where you could probably

1246
00:57:00,840 --> 00:57:02,600
Speaker 1: be much better in your thirties than you were in

1247
00:57:02,640 --> 00:57:05,719
Speaker 1: your twenties once it kind of mentally clicks, right, Vinitarykowski,

1248
00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:08,719
Speaker 1: those get a couple examples that had incredible, you know,

1249
00:57:08,760 --> 00:57:10,960
Speaker 1: careers in their thirties. And it's funny you mentioned that

1250
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:13,120
Speaker 1: the guy that worked with John Carry that I mentioned earlier,

1251
00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:15,160
Speaker 1: he's a big He played in the league for twenty

1252
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:19,400
Speaker 1: three years, which is incredible to think about. Actually, um,

1253
00:57:19,440 --> 00:57:21,320
Speaker 1: he actually is a firm believer that a kicker, an

1254
00:57:21,360 --> 00:57:24,919
Speaker 1: NFL kicker, doesn't enter their prime until like twenty nine

1255
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:27,240
Speaker 1: or thirty and so he believes that those years from

1256
00:57:27,240 --> 00:57:30,960
Speaker 1: like twenty nine to thirty five are the NFL kickers prime,

1257
00:57:31,120 --> 00:57:33,360
Speaker 1: whereas twenty nine to thirty five for any other guy

1258
00:57:33,400 --> 00:57:35,120
Speaker 1: in the NFL is used late on the way out,

1259
00:57:35,160 --> 00:57:39,040
Speaker 1: if not out already. So it's interesting. In golf, they

1260
00:57:39,040 --> 00:57:41,560
Speaker 1: tell you to visualize, have good thoughts, right, I'm gonna

1261
00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:43,360
Speaker 1: hit this straight or I'm gonna hit this. Is that

1262
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:45,280
Speaker 1: a big thing? You know, you're talking about your mental

1263
00:57:45,280 --> 00:57:49,280
Speaker 1: coach with kicking that I'm do you visualize the good kick?

1264
00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:51,160
Speaker 1: You visualize, especially if you're gonna hit like a little

1265
00:57:51,160 --> 00:57:53,960
Speaker 1: fade or a little you know, draw. You guys consider

1266
00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:56,440
Speaker 1: that in kicking, are they fades and draws? We try

1267
00:57:56,480 --> 00:57:58,560
Speaker 1: to hit a lasted straight ball. I mean, you know

1268
00:57:58,640 --> 00:58:00,760
Speaker 1: you're missed, and you know you're tending. See like, sometimes

1269
00:58:00,760 --> 00:58:03,200
Speaker 1: you have a tendency for either move left or right

1270
00:58:03,320 --> 00:58:05,120
Speaker 1: and you have to be aware of that, but you're

1271
00:58:05,160 --> 00:58:08,360
Speaker 1: not trying to move it left. What what's your left

1272
00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:10,640
Speaker 1: or right? I would say as I got older, it

1273
00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:13,760
Speaker 1: would tail left more um because I hit a more

1274
00:58:13,800 --> 00:58:16,520
Speaker 1: powerful line drive shot. So that'd be a push a little,

1275
00:58:17,040 --> 00:58:20,840
Speaker 1: that'd be a poll pol Yeah left, Okay, I got you,

1276
00:58:20,920 --> 00:58:24,240
Speaker 1: I got you. But yeah. Our thing is is big

1277
00:58:24,240 --> 00:58:26,200
Speaker 1: time in visualization. And then the thing that drives me

1278
00:58:26,320 --> 00:58:29,880
Speaker 1: crazy about young kickers is I call it bad body language.

1279
00:58:29,880 --> 00:58:31,880
Speaker 1: Is that you'll see these young guys, they'll be in

1280
00:58:31,920 --> 00:58:34,520
Speaker 1: practice and they'll miss a kick and then they'll they'll

1281
00:58:35,480 --> 00:58:38,000
Speaker 1: mother f themselves or curse themselves into an oblivion. And

1282
00:58:38,040 --> 00:58:42,800
Speaker 1: I'm going, you're just you know, over emphasizing the fact

1283
00:58:42,800 --> 00:58:44,600
Speaker 1: that you just had a bad play. Why would you

1284
00:58:44,640 --> 00:58:46,640
Speaker 1: do that just you know, kind of carry on, move

1285
00:58:46,720 --> 00:58:49,120
Speaker 1: on and visually as the next one of having success.

1286
00:58:49,120 --> 00:58:51,120
Speaker 1: So to me, it's more the bad body language and

1287
00:58:51,160 --> 00:58:55,480
Speaker 1: the outwardly signs of like I'm in despair that those

1288
00:58:55,520 --> 00:58:57,160
Speaker 1: are the ones you gotta eliminate. Did you have that

1289
00:58:57,240 --> 00:58:59,560
Speaker 1: positive reinforcement that come naturally to you or is that

1290
00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:01,439
Speaker 1: something you had to go Yeah. I was always raised

1291
00:59:01,440 --> 00:59:04,080
Speaker 1: that way to never get too emotional about sports and

1292
00:59:04,400 --> 00:59:06,560
Speaker 1: your performance in them, and that you know, life's bigger

1293
00:59:06,560 --> 00:59:09,800
Speaker 1: than just sports. So to me, I never really looked

1294
00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:11,560
Speaker 1: at it as like, oh my gosh, I missed a kick,

1295
00:59:11,680 --> 00:59:14,000
Speaker 1: shame on me. And my parents never raised me that way.

1296
00:59:14,040 --> 00:59:16,480
Speaker 1: They were always super supportive and you know, kept it

1297
00:59:16,560 --> 00:59:19,000
Speaker 1: real with me, but never made me feel like I

1298
00:59:19,040 --> 00:59:21,080
Speaker 1: had to do well in sports. Do you think back

1299
00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:24,720
Speaker 1: to the SEC thing kicking at Georgia and just in

1300
00:59:24,760 --> 00:59:27,800
Speaker 1: the SEC the pressure cook that is made the NFL,

1301
00:59:27,880 --> 00:59:29,960
Speaker 1: the pressure is good and bad come a lot easier

1302
00:59:29,960 --> 00:59:32,760
Speaker 1: for you just knowing how how crazy that was. Like

1303
00:59:32,800 --> 00:59:34,920
Speaker 1: did you feel when you were missing kicks your senior year?

1304
00:59:35,440 --> 00:59:37,880
Speaker 1: Like could you hear the noise? I mean, oh yeah.

1305
00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:40,280
Speaker 1: See the programs are the programs that like Georgia and

1306
00:59:40,280 --> 00:59:42,920
Speaker 1: Florida and Bama. They're covered the same way, if not

1307
00:59:43,040 --> 00:59:47,200
Speaker 1: more than professional programs. Um, so you hear that noise

1308
00:59:47,240 --> 00:59:50,200
Speaker 1: and you have the interviews every single week about you know,

1309
00:59:50,720 --> 00:59:52,680
Speaker 1: what happened last week, what happened with that kicks? So

1310
00:59:52,760 --> 00:59:56,439
Speaker 1: you definitely feel that intensity. But the good thing about

1311
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:58,720
Speaker 1: those schools too is that they are really good at

1312
00:59:58,760 --> 01:00:01,560
Speaker 1: propping you up when you're doing well. So you know,

1313
01:00:01,680 --> 01:00:03,640
Speaker 1: early on in my Georgia career when I'm crushing it,

1314
01:00:03,760 --> 01:00:06,280
Speaker 1: they were definitely they're kind of promoting me and making

1315
01:00:06,280 --> 01:00:08,920
Speaker 1: me feel like, hey, I actually do belong and there

1316
01:00:08,920 --> 01:00:10,800
Speaker 1: are So that's the two sides of it for me,

1317
01:00:10,920 --> 01:00:13,560
Speaker 1: that it is positive as negative. Who is the most

1318
01:00:13,560 --> 01:00:17,800
Speaker 1: talented player you were around in the NFL? Adrian Beerson

1319
01:00:17,840 --> 01:00:22,280
Speaker 1: easily just free. Never see anybody built like him, Never

1320
01:00:22,280 --> 01:00:26,400
Speaker 1: see anybody that big that can cut that fast. I

1321
01:00:26,440 --> 01:00:29,800
Speaker 1: don't understand that, and that I was there. My rookie

1322
01:00:29,840 --> 01:00:31,480
Speaker 1: year was his year coming off of the A c

1323
01:00:31,640 --> 01:00:34,720
Speaker 1: L tear you run for two thousand yards or something,

1324
01:00:35,040 --> 01:00:38,400
Speaker 1: and he ran for two thousand yards. And the entire offseason,

1325
01:00:38,440 --> 01:00:40,600
Speaker 1: all we're hearing is that, you know, oh, Adrian's you know,

1326
01:00:40,760 --> 01:00:42,840
Speaker 1: he's not gonna be ready for the start of opening camp.

1327
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:44,640
Speaker 1: He's not gonna be ready to start of opening game.

1328
01:00:44,720 --> 01:00:47,120
Speaker 1: And I'm sitting there watching this guy do these drills

1329
01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:50,320
Speaker 1: in the side and going, I'm no, you know, physical therapist.

1330
01:00:50,360 --> 01:00:52,600
Speaker 1: I'm no rehabilitation expert, but that guy looks like he's

1331
01:00:52,600 --> 01:00:54,720
Speaker 1: ready to go. He's pulling trainers with him on a

1332
01:00:54,720 --> 01:00:57,200
Speaker 1: harness down the field. I'm going, he's not going to

1333
01:00:57,320 --> 01:01:00,720
Speaker 1: not play. Yeah, I mean coming from the se see,

1334
01:01:01,080 --> 01:01:03,040
Speaker 1: we're seeing a guy like that, being like, Wow, this

1335
01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:05,120
Speaker 1: is a different this is a different animal here in

1336
01:01:05,160 --> 01:01:08,520
Speaker 1: the in the NFL. This guy is a freak. He

1337
01:01:08,680 --> 01:01:11,040
Speaker 1: is a freak. I was blessed though you carry you

1338
01:01:11,080 --> 01:01:12,960
Speaker 1: guys to the playoffs that year with Christian Ponder was

1339
01:01:12,960 --> 01:01:15,720
Speaker 1: a rookie quarterback, and then are that that was the

1340
01:01:15,720 --> 01:01:18,000
Speaker 1: Week seven team game where we played Green Bay and

1341
01:01:18,040 --> 01:01:20,640
Speaker 1: if we win, we go to the playoffs and if

1342
01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:22,680
Speaker 1: you lose, we're out. And he's I think he's like

1343
01:01:23,120 --> 01:01:25,880
Speaker 1: the teen yards short of the record, maybe ten, and

1344
01:01:26,440 --> 01:01:28,200
Speaker 1: he gets stopped on third down. We go out there,

1345
01:01:28,280 --> 01:01:30,080
Speaker 1: I kicked the game winner. We go to the playoffs.

1346
01:01:30,880 --> 01:01:33,520
Speaker 1: I actually had the question from a media member that say,

1347
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:35,919
Speaker 1: did you ever think about missing the kicks? The game

1348
01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,600
Speaker 1: could continue and he could break the Russian? And I

1349
01:01:38,680 --> 01:01:42,560
Speaker 1: just remember being like, absolutely not. That never crossed my mind.

1350
01:01:43,720 --> 01:01:45,480
Speaker 1: But yeah, that was there. He almost broken. He was

1351
01:01:45,840 --> 01:01:48,720
Speaker 1: He carried us, and he'd have games where the second

1352
01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:51,160
Speaker 1: play from scrimmage is an eight yard breakaway touchdown. You're

1353
01:01:51,200 --> 01:01:57,520
Speaker 1: going and we're stopping that best player in college on

1354
01:01:57,560 --> 01:02:01,680
Speaker 1: my team. Yeah, A J. Green. A J. Green is

1355
01:02:01,720 --> 01:02:03,400
Speaker 1: in my recruiting class. So we came in at the

1356
01:02:03,440 --> 01:02:05,960
Speaker 1: same time, same level of prospect of a couple of

1357
01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:10,720
Speaker 1: five stores. Um, but A J. Was just so smooth.

1358
01:02:12,160 --> 01:02:14,840
Speaker 1: He just destroying people in practice every day. Like, what's funny,

1359
01:02:14,880 --> 01:02:15,960
Speaker 1: you asked me. I was just about to tell you

1360
01:02:16,040 --> 01:02:19,000
Speaker 1: there was a practice where he's a freshman and he's

1361
01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:23,680
Speaker 1: playing and that's kind of unheard of back in two eight,

1362
01:02:23,920 --> 01:02:26,080
Speaker 1: that's kind of unheard of it that a freshman wide

1363
01:02:26,120 --> 01:02:28,360
Speaker 1: receiver gets a lot of playing time. And you guys

1364
01:02:28,360 --> 01:02:30,160
Speaker 1: were so good, you know, and we were good. We

1365
01:02:30,160 --> 01:02:34,120
Speaker 1: were preseason number one Stafford, no Sean Marino. But long

1366
01:02:34,160 --> 01:02:37,120
Speaker 1: story short, we're practice and you start to hear some

1367
01:02:37,240 --> 01:02:39,320
Speaker 1: dbs chatting up the fact that you know they're tired

1368
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:43,000
Speaker 1: of a J and the special treatment is getting so

1369
01:02:43,040 --> 01:02:45,680
Speaker 1: they're doing one on once. First guy steps up, a

1370
01:02:45,840 --> 01:02:48,840
Speaker 1: J burns him. Said guy steps up, a J burns him.

1371
01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:52,520
Speaker 1: Third guy steps up a J burns him again. A

1372
01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:55,880
Speaker 1: J is the quietest mild manner, dude, I've ever met burns.

1373
01:02:55,880 --> 01:02:58,200
Speaker 1: The third guy grabs the ball, throws in the ground.

1374
01:02:58,280 --> 01:03:00,600
Speaker 1: Point to the first guy goes, he's too slow. Point

1375
01:03:00,640 --> 01:03:03,120
Speaker 1: of the second guy goes, he just sucks, and the

1376
01:03:03,160 --> 01:03:05,320
Speaker 1: points of the third guy. He goes, he's not good

1377
01:03:05,320 --> 01:03:08,120
Speaker 1: any good either, and walks away. And I've never, I've never,

1378
01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:10,560
Speaker 1: I've never let that story leave my mind. It just

1379
01:03:10,640 --> 01:03:13,160
Speaker 1: was perfect. You knew the guys gonna be a seat

1380
01:03:13,200 --> 01:03:15,600
Speaker 1: when he said that. So he did he play a

1381
01:03:15,640 --> 01:03:18,280
Speaker 1: lot his freshman year? Yeah, he led a lot. He

1382
01:03:18,360 --> 01:03:22,000
Speaker 1: was say it again, couldn't came up the field, you

1383
01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:23,720
Speaker 1: couldn't came out the field. He was the number one,

1384
01:03:23,760 --> 01:03:27,280
Speaker 1: and then Mohammed Massaqua was our two God, you guys

1385
01:03:27,280 --> 01:03:30,600
Speaker 1: had a squad, stafford and running backs and yeah, one

1386
01:03:30,600 --> 01:03:32,680
Speaker 1: of those dvs that I just mentioned was Rashaw Jones,

1387
01:03:32,720 --> 01:03:34,680
Speaker 1: who ended up being one of the best safeties in

1388
01:03:34,680 --> 01:03:38,120
Speaker 1: the NFL for about five years. Crazy who was the

1389
01:03:38,160 --> 01:03:41,120
Speaker 1: best kickoff return man that you ever had to kick

1390
01:03:41,160 --> 01:03:44,280
Speaker 1: off tour that during that week, you guys were very

1391
01:03:44,320 --> 01:03:48,360
Speaker 1: focused on, we can not kick of this guy. Uh.

1392
01:03:48,440 --> 01:03:49,920
Speaker 1: I mean there was a couple you had that guys

1393
01:03:49,920 --> 01:03:52,960
Speaker 1: like trendon holiday he was pretty good. But the return

1394
01:03:53,040 --> 01:03:55,240
Speaker 1: that we focused the most on was definitely Tyron Matthew

1395
01:03:55,280 --> 01:03:59,600
Speaker 1: when he was at his height of um popularity and stardom.

1396
01:03:59,800 --> 01:04:01,720
Speaker 1: And he played him in the SEC Championship game and

1397
01:04:01,760 --> 01:04:05,240
Speaker 1: he housed one. And I remember being in the bath

1398
01:04:05,280 --> 01:04:06,920
Speaker 1: because the way the old Georgia done was there's no

1399
01:04:06,960 --> 01:04:10,480
Speaker 1: bathrooms anywhere near the sideline, and as a kicker, you're

1400
01:04:10,480 --> 01:04:13,760
Speaker 1: always using the bathroom. I'm in the bathroom underneath the stands,

1401
01:04:14,120 --> 01:04:15,360
Speaker 1: and I knew that we were on punts. I'm not

1402
01:04:15,360 --> 01:04:16,960
Speaker 1: gonna be needed. So I go to the bathroom and

1403
01:04:16,960 --> 01:04:19,120
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I hear this massive roar and

1404
01:04:19,160 --> 01:04:21,800
Speaker 1: I'm like, that's not good. Come out of the tunnel

1405
01:04:21,840 --> 01:04:24,840
Speaker 1: and watching him, you know, gallivant to the end zone,

1406
01:04:24,920 --> 01:04:28,120
Speaker 1: just going this game is over. Who's the best in

1407
01:04:28,160 --> 01:04:32,480
Speaker 1: the NFL? Devin Hester Easy, We had games where you

1408
01:04:32,520 --> 01:04:35,000
Speaker 1: have to scheme kicks, like we're like, we can't kick

1409
01:04:35,000 --> 01:04:38,040
Speaker 1: it deep because he's gonna house and we have to

1410
01:04:38,040 --> 01:04:42,400
Speaker 1: scheme around him. What made him so sweet? It's funny.

1411
01:04:42,680 --> 01:04:45,880
Speaker 1: Cordirell Patterson, Who's my probably next answer to that question.

1412
01:04:45,880 --> 01:04:48,440
Speaker 1: They both do something where a lot of return A

1413
01:04:48,480 --> 01:04:51,160
Speaker 1: lot of people think returns is about shiftiness, where in

1414
01:04:51,160 --> 01:04:54,440
Speaker 1: my opinion, returning is much more about finding the first

1415
01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:56,640
Speaker 1: cut and then hitting it, and being really good at

1416
01:04:56,640 --> 01:04:59,000
Speaker 1: finding that first cut and hitting it. And both those guys,

1417
01:04:59,040 --> 01:05:01,960
Speaker 1: to me, were just exemplary at that. They would find

1418
01:05:02,040 --> 01:05:06,480
Speaker 1: that weakness in the coverage team, exploit it and take it,

1419
01:05:06,520 --> 01:05:08,480
Speaker 1: and you couldn't You couldn't take him down. I think

1420
01:05:08,480 --> 01:05:10,840
Speaker 1: both those guys too have in common. They have elite speed,

1421
01:05:10,880 --> 01:05:13,800
Speaker 1: but they're built, I mean, not quite Adrian Peterson, but

1422
01:05:13,840 --> 01:05:16,240
Speaker 1: they are physical freaks where they are gonna break soft

1423
01:05:16,320 --> 01:05:18,960
Speaker 1: arm tackles right, So it's like you better doing your

1424
01:05:18,960 --> 01:05:21,400
Speaker 1: whole body. If you're just getting an arm they're gone.

1425
01:05:21,520 --> 01:05:24,280
Speaker 1: I mean CP eight four, still kicking ass, and he's

1426
01:05:24,280 --> 01:05:26,880
Speaker 1: probably the best returning right now. His rookie year, we

1427
01:05:27,160 --> 01:05:30,120
Speaker 1: he was our returner because he wasn't playing much on

1428
01:05:30,120 --> 01:05:32,840
Speaker 1: on offense. And I remember our special teams coach literally

1429
01:05:32,880 --> 01:05:34,680
Speaker 1: had him stand at the back of the end zone

1430
01:05:34,800 --> 01:05:36,840
Speaker 1: and be like, any ball that you can get your

1431
01:05:36,840 --> 01:05:39,880
Speaker 1: hands on, any ball nine deep, don't care if you

1432
01:05:39,880 --> 01:05:41,960
Speaker 1: can get your hands on it, take it out. And

1433
01:05:42,000 --> 01:05:45,360
Speaker 1: I just wild. The crazy thing about the NFL is

1434
01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:47,920
Speaker 1: a guy like him, like clearly being a number one

1435
01:05:47,960 --> 01:05:50,120
Speaker 1: wide receiver and handling all the is a little too

1436
01:05:50,200 --> 01:05:52,680
Speaker 1: much for him. But once he got lucky enough, some

1437
01:05:52,720 --> 01:05:55,160
Speaker 1: guys just get out of the NFL. Right, he found

1438
01:05:55,200 --> 01:05:58,440
Speaker 1: this niche and he's exploited it and he's just crushed it.

1439
01:05:58,480 --> 01:05:59,880
Speaker 1: And now he's gonna go on to probably have like

1440
01:05:59,880 --> 01:06:02,240
Speaker 1: a twelve year career, right Yeah. And the thing I

1441
01:06:02,320 --> 01:06:04,320
Speaker 1: like about port Erroll two is that he embraced it.

1442
01:06:04,360 --> 01:06:06,160
Speaker 1: You know, he became a gunner on the punt team.

1443
01:06:06,240 --> 01:06:08,120
Speaker 1: You know, he was a former first round draft pick,

1444
01:06:08,120 --> 01:06:10,800
Speaker 1: and a lot of those guys have that like, don't

1445
01:06:10,800 --> 01:06:12,920
Speaker 1: put me on special teams. You know, unless I'm returning,

1446
01:06:12,920 --> 01:06:15,760
Speaker 1: I'm not touching special teams. And I always loved that

1447
01:06:15,760 --> 01:06:17,720
Speaker 1: about Corderoll. He didn't care if you wanted to play

1448
01:06:17,720 --> 01:06:19,920
Speaker 1: gunner and play gunner. If you want them to protect

1449
01:06:19,920 --> 01:06:21,720
Speaker 1: on a punt team, he do that if he had

1450
01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:23,400
Speaker 1: he was asked, so that was cool and that's why

1451
01:06:23,400 --> 01:06:25,680
Speaker 1: he's hunting around for so long. Well, thanks, man, I

1452
01:06:25,760 --> 01:06:28,520
Speaker 1: appreciate you giving me the time, and uh, absolutely, I

1453
01:06:28,600 --> 01:06:30,480
Speaker 1: hope you get a shot. I'd be, uh be your

1454
01:06:30,520 --> 01:06:34,040
Speaker 1: biggest fan, rooting for you to make some how's the game?

1455
01:06:34,080 --> 01:06:36,560
Speaker 1: How's the golf game coming? You know? I had the

1456
01:06:36,600 --> 01:06:39,479
Speaker 1: worst two thousand twenty. Uh. If I was an NFL player,

1457
01:06:39,520 --> 01:06:41,760
Speaker 1: would have been really my game fell apart, I think,

1458
01:06:42,600 --> 01:06:44,760
Speaker 1: But that's guys, your business is going up there. Yeah.

1459
01:06:44,800 --> 01:06:47,160
Speaker 1: But the more I think sometimes golf, I think kicking

1460
01:06:47,200 --> 01:06:48,400
Speaker 1: is a lot like the more you play, the more

1461
01:06:48,440 --> 01:06:50,640
Speaker 1: you start thinking about, you can get worse, you know,

1462
01:06:51,120 --> 01:06:55,720
Speaker 1: sometimes like relaxing, and I got negative fast. I tried

1463
01:06:55,840 --> 01:06:59,320
Speaker 1: all these swing changes. Play the other day, shot like eighty.

1464
01:06:59,640 --> 01:07:02,600
Speaker 1: Uh so he's coming around. Stop. I stopped thinking and

1465
01:07:02,600 --> 01:07:05,200
Speaker 1: I started being positive. Oh yeah, I see. I I

1466
01:07:05,240 --> 01:07:07,440
Speaker 1: think playing is actually the way to get better. When

1467
01:07:07,480 --> 01:07:08,919
Speaker 1: I go to the range, I end up thinking about

1468
01:07:08,920 --> 01:07:10,560
Speaker 1: a million things and why am I not taking more

1469
01:07:10,600 --> 01:07:12,520
Speaker 1: for diving and that next thing you know that leaks

1470
01:07:12,520 --> 01:07:15,560
Speaker 1: into the game. You're like, but playing for me is

1471
01:07:16,280 --> 01:07:18,320
Speaker 1: the best. Well, you know most kickers and quarterbacks are

1472
01:07:18,360 --> 01:07:22,320
Speaker 1: like scratch golfers. Is that you getting there? I wasn't always.

1473
01:07:22,400 --> 01:07:24,440
Speaker 1: I mean, I grew up playing, but I stopped playing

1474
01:07:24,440 --> 01:07:27,320
Speaker 1: for five years and so I'm kind of learning it back.

1475
01:07:27,440 --> 01:07:34,000
Speaker 1: But my sister whips my ass. She's yeah, Miami, God,

1476
01:07:34,040 --> 01:07:38,080
Speaker 1: you guys have athletic family. Holy moly. Yeah we tried

1477
01:07:39,040 --> 01:07:43,320
Speaker 1: the you Georgia. Yeah, brother played soccer at Harvard, so

1478
01:07:43,560 --> 01:07:46,959
Speaker 1: it's I'm the intellectual more in my family. Yeah. Well,

1479
01:07:47,480 --> 01:07:51,120
Speaker 1: someone's gonna be all over your children, that's for sure.

1480
01:07:51,320 --> 01:07:54,200
Speaker 1: Have them play golf. Oh yeah, they're not. They're not

1481
01:07:54,200 --> 01:07:57,560
Speaker 1: playing football, that's for damn sure. Easier on the body.

1482
01:07:57,760 --> 01:07:59,560
Speaker 1: Thanks bro, I have a good night, or of course

1483
01:07:59,640 --> 01:08:03,800
Speaker 1: you two see man. Well, I enjoyed that. Hopefully you

1484
01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:06,000
Speaker 1: did too. And like I said, Middlecoff mail back at

1485
01:08:06,040 --> 01:08:08,439
Speaker 1: John Middlecoff. I'm gonna throw it on my YouTube page. John.

1486
01:08:08,480 --> 01:08:11,080
Speaker 1: Just John Middlecoff type it in. It'll be up there

1487
01:08:11,120 --> 01:08:13,600
Speaker 1: in the next If your listeners on Friday, it'll be

1488
01:08:13,680 --> 01:08:18,160
Speaker 1: up there. Uh. Other than that, enjoy the weekend. And

1489
01:08:18,520 --> 01:08:20,240
Speaker 1: if you're a Colts fan, you got a new quarterback.

1490
01:08:20,720 --> 01:08:24,640
Speaker 1: If you're an Eagles fan, you uh Jalen Hurts now

1491
01:08:24,640 --> 01:08:26,120
Speaker 1: your quarterback. See you