Speaker 1: Lights Out happens to be the nickname of the amazing
Speaker 1: young man that's about to come on and grace us
Speaker 1: with his amazing lights out voice. Three time Pro Bowl linebacker,
Speaker 1: Uh Maryland Terrapin, Uh Super Charger, Uh Buffalo Bill. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that guy. Shawn Merriman, what's up, bro? Happy to have
Speaker 1: you on the show, Bob Man always any time. And
Speaker 1: you know what, You're like the only person get me
Speaker 1: to do anything on Saturday. As far as work, it's
Speaker 1: like my only day. But the bar show done. Deal.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm talking about. So Sean, what's up? What's up? Brother?
Speaker 1: You got Plex and t J on the line, man,
Speaker 1: and we got Sean Merriman on the line and we Sean,
Speaker 1: we we had a very very spirited conversation taking place
Speaker 1: about what's going on in Houston. And I'm I'm curious
Speaker 1: from your perspective because in a lot of ways, you
Speaker 1: are one of the most beloved players to ever play
Speaker 1: for the Chargers. Before they switched up to being l A,
Speaker 1: they were the Diego Chargers, and you were one of
Speaker 1: those guys that picked up the mantle where where uh
Speaker 1: where Junior left it? And if there was anyone who
Speaker 1: carried it the way it was supposed to be carried it.
Speaker 1: After he did it, it was you, but you didn't
Speaker 1: finish and and and with the Chargers. You didn't finish
Speaker 1: with the organization. Or do you find there to be
Speaker 1: any similarities to what J. J. Watt just had take
Speaker 1: place with a mutual uh parting of the ways from
Speaker 1: from Houston after representing so much and having so much
Speaker 1: value with the market. What what is your what's your
Speaker 1: take on this? Like was it handled the right way
Speaker 1: or could have been done differently? Well, you know, var
Speaker 1: the the situation that's similar and and a little different
Speaker 1: at the same time similar because you know, you you've
Speaker 1: done one thing for organization, um, you know, multiple multiple
Speaker 1: multiple Pro Bowls and a lot of accolades and winning games,
Speaker 1: and then you move on somewhere else. So you always
Speaker 1: have that um you know, you all you always have
Speaker 1: that thing where it's like, Okay, these guys don't want
Speaker 1: me here or I've done so much for the organization.
Speaker 1: Then they clicked back in. Then you know, you start
Speaker 1: thinking about it's a business and that's just where how
Speaker 1: it goes. I don't care who you are. There's very
Speaker 1: few players that ever remained neat like these days with
Speaker 1: one organization the entire time, and you know, you take
Speaker 1: it back to Joe Montana and Peyton Manning and Tom
Speaker 1: Brady and the list goes on. It's really hard to
Speaker 1: stay in one organization. Now, the problem I've seen that
Speaker 1: is when there's somewhere mutual, it means that he also
Speaker 1: wanted to go, you know. So I wasn't shocked by
Speaker 1: that because if we look at what's going on down
Speaker 1: in Houston, it's like, okay, well there might be a
Speaker 1: serious problem with j. J. Watt wants to get out
Speaker 1: of your organization. You know, wasn't like they let him go,
Speaker 1: released him or told him to leave right there, was like,
Speaker 1: you know, this is a mutual situation where he also
Speaker 1: wanted to leave. He didn't fight to stay. So you know,
Speaker 1: when there's what we said all the time where they're smoke,
Speaker 1: there's fire. There's a lot of fire down in Houston
Speaker 1: right now. Now when when you let's let's talk, let's
Speaker 1: stay in the quarterback position. What what's your take on
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson coming out talking about criticizing this offensive line,
Speaker 1: and we got LaVar saying he should have a big
Speaker 1: say and decision making one. What do you you're just
Speaker 1: gonna put words in my mouth? How Yeah, it should
Speaker 1: be negotiated in this contract if you want to have
Speaker 1: that role, Like, why not negotiated? I'm sure, I'm sure
Speaker 1: Mr Light's out. No, that's illegal, that's why. What what's
Speaker 1: your what's your take on that, Sean? So this is
Speaker 1: my thing. I think that especially nowadays, this the quarterback position.
Speaker 1: They're the CEO of your organization, right, I mean, it
Speaker 1: wasn't like that, and I've seen what uh you know,
Speaker 1: Brett Farb and some of the older guys come out
Speaker 1: and talking about this, Sean, and the times is different.
Speaker 1: They wasn't making you know, four years or five year
Speaker 1: a hundred fifty million dollar contract. So the quarterback nowadays
Speaker 1: you're just talking about business and not try to use
Speaker 1: this equation because so like the normal people understanding, oh
Speaker 1: why is the quarterback and playing it? Well, what owner
Speaker 1: of any company don't talk to their CEO about what
Speaker 1: they're planning on doing. It just doesn't happen, right, So
Speaker 1: if you're plan on making moves and you're CEO is
Speaker 1: the person who's running your organizations, because that's what the
Speaker 1: quarterback position is nowadays, that's the one that's going to
Speaker 1: decide on how how that franchise, how that organization is
Speaker 1: gonna do you know any percent of what goes on
Speaker 1: nowadays on the office side of the ball is starting
Speaker 1: to finish with the quarterback position. So if that's the case,
Speaker 1: you have to give him a seat at the table.
Speaker 1: And look, you're owner the team, right, So I tell anybody,
Speaker 1: if you've got any real input or problem with how
Speaker 1: owners operate, go buy your own damn team. Go do
Speaker 1: what you want to do. But at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, at the quarterback position, when you're asking them
Speaker 1: for so much and paying them this type of money,
Speaker 1: you have to sit out and give them a seat
Speaker 1: at the table and at least get their thoughts from
Speaker 1: things moving forward. I agree, you know Sean man. First
Speaker 1: of all, Man, I just want to jump out there
Speaker 1: and say, man, you you probably uh might be the
Speaker 1: toughest light skin dude. I know that funny. He has
Speaker 1: a tough black So I told, I told, I said,
Speaker 1: outside of iced tea, I might be the toughest life
Speaker 1: to get hard. Ain't no downe about at least we
Speaker 1: agree on that. But check it. Hey, So the whole
Speaker 1: J J. Watt, you know situation him wanted to be
Speaker 1: released from the team. You know, you you was a cornerstone,
Speaker 1: you know, uh, franchise player for the for the charges
Speaker 1: and and and and so was he like, I don't know,
Speaker 1: I didn't know your your contract situations with with the
Speaker 1: with the charges back then. But wouldn't you rather have
Speaker 1: stayed because y'all had a great team? Oh five, we
Speaker 1: went out there and play. Y'all put our lights out,
Speaker 1: you know, something like football, the last first game after
Speaker 1: you know, the world, the whole business. Yeah, yeah, So
Speaker 1: would you rather have stayed in San Diego and win
Speaker 1: a championship on that great team instead of leaving and
Speaker 1: going somewhere else? And it all depends and I think
Speaker 1: in J. J. Watt um and I want to say
Speaker 1: that then go back to Matthew Stafford anybody else who
Speaker 1: has a mutual way out the door. Right You you've
Speaker 1: seen with that grass and like they always tell you,
Speaker 1: the grass isn't always greening on the other side, walk
Speaker 1: you walk that grass, you felt that grass or turn
Speaker 1: for whatever you've been on and you're like, okay, I
Speaker 1: know what it is here, I know what it's gonna
Speaker 1: be And it started with DeAndre Hopkins and some of
Speaker 1: the other bad decisions, and you know with uh Bill,
Speaker 1: coach O'Brien and just just so much bad blood going
Speaker 1: in the organization. And J. J. Watton has been there
Speaker 1: and he's seen enough, right, He's seen enough to say,
Speaker 1: you know what, it's my time to go somewhere else where.
Speaker 1: I'm actually gonna have an opportunity to win a championship
Speaker 1: because I know it's not gonna be here. M Sean
Speaker 1: Merriman on the line. That's the voice you hear. Subscribe
Speaker 1: to The lights Out Podcast with Shawn Merriman on I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio, iTunes or wherever you get your podcast. Dude
Speaker 1: does some super phenomenal podcast shows, great topics, great guests.
Speaker 1: It's an up and coming show. I support it. You
Speaker 1: should go support it as well. Tell the friends subscribe. Sean,
Speaker 1: you just mentioned O'Brien and the coaching and the lack
Speaker 1: of leadership. Now this week one of our our some
Speaker 1: uh someone we share in common, passed away and coach
Speaker 1: Marty Schottenheimer. Tell me what what is your um your
Speaker 1: feelings on how important the leadership at the coaching position
Speaker 1: is for success. But then when you have a coach
Speaker 1: that that has that it factor about them, how much
Speaker 1: does that play a part and and how much is
Speaker 1: that relatable to your time with with coach Schottenheimer. You know,
Speaker 1: VARs you said it. I mean, I think Marty is
Speaker 1: one of the greatest leaders in in in sports history,
Speaker 1: not even just a football um. And I'm a big
Speaker 1: believer that you're head coach and the leadership reflects the team.
Speaker 1: You know, it's it's almost in a sense of trickle
Speaker 1: down effect. So if you got a coach that isn't
Speaker 1: a great leader, um, you know, allowing guys to walk
Speaker 1: in late can't really get anybody fired up. The team
Speaker 1: is going to reflect that. And you know, looking of
Speaker 1: course in Marty's career and the guys coaching, including yourself,
Speaker 1: And you know, I'll be the first one to tell you, um,
Speaker 1: he as hard as it come. And he also if
Speaker 1: he played hard for him, you're loving the death and
Speaker 1: he's gonna love you. You know, he you know, he
Speaker 1: he's the type. And I'll give you, uh, you know,
Speaker 1: two examples. One is, uh, in training camp my rookie here,
Speaker 1: you know, he seen that I was practicing hard and
Speaker 1: my body I was starting to get camp body, and
Speaker 1: he'll come up behind me and practice and tell me
Speaker 1: to take you know, nine on seven off or whatever,
Speaker 1: drill off. And you're like a damn coach is cool.
Speaker 1: And then the next day he'll line you up to
Speaker 1: Oklahoma drill. But I didn't get that, Marty. But but
Speaker 1: I love that he adjusted with you. He saw that
Speaker 1: fifty six in Washington. I had to do that now
Speaker 1: on something. But go ahead. He babied you a little bit,
Speaker 1: but go ahead. But that's what happened. That's what it was.
Speaker 1: I was out there and that now one, go ahead.
Speaker 1: But see, you know, the next day he'll line me
Speaker 1: back up in line in Oklahoma drill with what what?
Speaker 1: What are the aligneman? You know. So it's just that's
Speaker 1: the type of leadership. And I'll give another another example.
Speaker 1: My rookie year. I went out and I had a
Speaker 1: big game against the Kenna City Chiefs. I knocked out
Speaker 1: priests homes and you know, I'm celebrating, I'm screaming, I'm
Speaker 1: a rookie. I'm trying to make a name for myself
Speaker 1: coming into the NFL and live up to, you know,
Speaker 1: the hype I had coming out of college and I'm celebrating,
Speaker 1: I run on the sideline. Priest's homes is still down
Speaker 1: on the ground. And while I'm celebrating, Marty shotting, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna grab my face mask and said, hey, don't forget
Speaker 1: that this guy's family and his friends are watching and
Speaker 1: in that in that moment and it's excited and you know,
Speaker 1: going crazy as I was. I stopped and I was like, damn,
Speaker 1: he's right. But that's that was Marty Man, And um,
Speaker 1: you know, I missed him and I was, I was
Speaker 1: really close with him all the all the way U
Speaker 1: until he had a really big decline in talking to
Speaker 1: Miss Schottenheimer in the family and uh, he's gonna be
Speaker 1: missed man and the football coach, which just as a
Speaker 1: man in general. Indeed, let me give you one of
Speaker 1: my stories. And it's interesting because my rookie or my
Speaker 1: my second year coming out of my rookie year, when
Speaker 1: Marty came in, he totally transformed the culture of our team.
Speaker 1: We went from a finesse team with with Norv which
Speaker 1: is so funny because we both had the same coaches
Speaker 1: at a point time in our in our careers. And
Speaker 1: you know, if you know North Norvis is soft. He's
Speaker 1: he's finesse. That's like you know, taking you know, take
Speaker 1: days off. It's not going to be a hard nosed team.
Speaker 1: Is going to be a finesse team. And coming off
Speaker 1: of the North deal, you know, we ended up getting
Speaker 1: Marty and and we turned into a hard nose football team.
Speaker 1: Now fast forward, they get rid of him after a
Speaker 1: year because his hard nose was way too hard nose. Well,
Speaker 1: we end up playing a Marty Schottenheimer led San Diego
Speaker 1: team with my baby on the other side on the
Speaker 1: on the sideline. And this is one of those moments.
Speaker 1: You got old fifty six, you got young fifty six,
Speaker 1: and on one of them plays, I'll never forget it.
Speaker 1: I'll never forget the sound of it. I'll never forget
Speaker 1: the look of it. But we ran some type of
Speaker 1: stretch play, a pitch, a toss, something it was, was
Speaker 1: it a screen, it was something. And when it got
Speaker 1: ran my man, the biggest lineman on our team, Derek Dockery,
Speaker 1: I'll never forget it. Out of Texas, big, big, ginormous, dude,
Speaker 1: strong athletic, was a super super great football player, gets
Speaker 1: out in into the open field to come block Shawn Merriman,
Speaker 1: and I heard the equivalent of a small car accident
Speaker 1: take place when you hit him and he lifted this
Speaker 1: six ft seven, three hundred and pound man off the ground.
Speaker 1: And I said, my god, I got it, retired, This
Speaker 1: this is it. I love him. Um. What he's doing
Speaker 1: is different than what I'm capable of doing. And I
Speaker 1: really see um that I'm to the end of my
Speaker 1: career and I'll never forget that. And all I could
Speaker 1: think about was that's Marty ball. That that that right
Speaker 1: there was when you come out as a Marty Schottenheimer team,
Speaker 1: it is pure bus you and your mouth. Hit you
Speaker 1: in your face and if you can handle what we're
Speaker 1: bringing your way for four quarters, God bless you were
Speaker 1: supposed to win this game. Bar and and as you
Speaker 1: said that, Marty Schottenheimer played that uh that clip in
Speaker 1: the team meeting room because that was one of his
Speaker 1: favorite places. He told me one of his favorite plays
Speaker 1: of of ever you know him, all his years of coaching.
Speaker 1: And the reason why I remember that play because people
Speaker 1: asked me all the time and said what was my
Speaker 1: hardest hit? And the first thing they say is Creas Holmes.
Speaker 1: But I was like, no, no, no, doctory was a.
Speaker 1: It was this this this dude. If you've seen him
Speaker 1: walking on the street, you moving to the other side
Speaker 1: of the street. It's like, it's not somebody you want
Speaker 1: to see. And I remember the screen. I think CP.
Speaker 1: I think Clinton caught a screen to something not to
Speaker 1: back and I and I was thinking to myself, I said,
Speaker 1: if big Doc stay up for me, I'm twenty yards away.
Speaker 1: So I'm running full speed and I know he's three
Speaker 1: thirty plus. And I said, if he stay up with
Speaker 1: me and don't cut me, I'm gonna send them to Heaven,
Speaker 1: is what I'm thinking in my head. And so I
Speaker 1: literally when I hit him, it was the hardest deep thump.
Speaker 1: And I don't know if you guys hurt on the
Speaker 1: sideline bar, but it was just such a He got
Speaker 1: up and he dropped back to his knees. He got
Speaker 1: up and dropped back to his knees, and then he
Speaker 1: walked off into the syleline. I don't know if he
Speaker 1: came back in or how long he was out, but
Speaker 1: that was that was my probably my hardest hit that
Speaker 1: I guess it really wasn't talked about. That was one
Speaker 1: hard hit and and obviously the idea of it being
Speaker 1: based upon the leadership and the culture that was created.
Speaker 1: R I P to one of the greatest ever. We
Speaker 1: love you, Marty, you are the Man. Prayers and thoughts
Speaker 1: to your family. Subscribe to The Lights Out Podcast with
Speaker 1: Sean Merriman on I Heart Radio, UH iTunes or wherever
Speaker 1: you get your podcast from UH. You can get plenty
Speaker 1: of great stories from Sean. Sean, we gotta have you
Speaker 1: back on man this This segment went way too quick