WEBVTT - Pats from the Past: Episode 5, Andre Tippett 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:08.280 Back with another episode of Pats from the Past Matt 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:13.039 Smith alongside with Brian Moorey and good news, Brian, we're 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.680 now sponsored. We have a new sponsor and we are 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:19.400 proud to announce that who but WB Mason is a 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:23.320 sponsor of the Patch for the Past podcast. WB Mason, 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.200 You're one stop shop for all business needs and the 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:28.480 reason why we have a sponsors. They found out who 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:31.680 our next guest is. They heard that our next guest 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:36.839 is Patriot and Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett. Tip. 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:39.040 How you doing, man? I'm going good. Thank you guys 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:41.720 for having me. Man, this is exciting. Part of this 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.839 podcast is our first Pro Football Hall of Famer. It's 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:46.760 our first Pro Football Hall of Famer. Who better to 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.080 have than the great Andre Tippett? Who better to have 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:53.000 than that? More you can do? I am always looking out, 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:56.560 So Tip, let's start. Let's get started, and let me 0:00:56.560 --> 0:00:59.120 ask you this, what did you know, if anything? Now, 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:01.480 you grew up on the coast or in the Northeast quarter, 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:04.040 so you're not like a kid from California who literally 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:07.600 doesn't know where to win well Louisiana. What did you 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:09.640 know about New England when he got drafted by him. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:12.920 I get the question all the time, and I tell you, 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:17.399 the first thing that came to mind when I was 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:23.399 drafted was Grogan Heroes. And you know, I once saw 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:25.760 a game, and I swear I only saw like one game, 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:28.440 and the announcers was saying, you know, they were like, 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:31.920 you know, Grogan's Heroes. And I'm watching and Grogan's out 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.839 there running around like he's the half back, and and 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:38.120 I was like, wow, I'm going to uh New England 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:41.160 pages I said, well, I'll be close to Jersey, and uh, 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:46.960 that's pretty cool. Well, you're a second round pick at 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.400 that time? Did you expect to be a first did you? 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:51.600 I mean obviously you probably hoped, but did you expect 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:54.840 to be a first? One? Where you disappointed? I expected 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.320 to be a first round pick. I was disappointed that 0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:01.600 I wasn't. I truly was. I knew that it was funny. 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.400 I knew the teams that I wanted to play for 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:08.120 were all toward the end. They had the Dallas Cowboys, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:14.000 Pittsburgh Steelers, and uh it was the Raiders. I actually 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:17.000 bought a two eighties X, a black, silver and black 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:19.680 two eighties ex thinking that you know, I'm gonna ride 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:25.079 into Oakland with my two eighties, but he sold it 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:27.680 to Antonio Brown, who wrote it in this year. I 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:33.440 started getting nervous on obviously the second day of the draft, 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.600 because the first day went by and my teammate Ron 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:39.400 Howstron went before me, and everybody that was in my 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:42.280 apartment took off to go to him. And I was 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:46.359 sitting around like a jaded bride man, and I'm like, 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:49.240 are you kidding me? And the next day I get 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:52.120 a call from the Steelers and they were, you know, 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.040 quizzing me on, um, you know, would you have a 0:02:56.040 --> 0:03:00.360 problem playing defensive end Elsie Greenwood is getting made to 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.080 retire and we kind of to see you in that role. 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.920 And all of a sudden, I'm freaking out. I'm like, um, 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.120 I'm not playing no defensive and I said, I'm outside 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:12.320 linebacker and I said, well, I gotta tell you. I said, 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:14.800 I don't think i'll play the position. Well, they playing 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:20.680 at three four. They're playing a yes three four at 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:25.720 the time, Yeah it was, and uh it frightened me. 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.560 And then I said, well, I guess After I hung up, 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:30.840 I said, I guess they won't be uh doing anything. 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.040 And then I remember Rod Russ had worked me out, 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:35.720 grabbed me out of class, and he was still with 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:39.000 Kansas City at the time, and I figured, you know, 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:44.520 Kansas City would come in late and do something and nothing. 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:49.000 And then I was counting on the Cowboys and they 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:55.320 ended up grabbing I think Rod Hill, defensive back who 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:57.440 played for a year and a half maybe two there. 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.080 And so all my all my picks were come and 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.880 so I didn't didn't know what to expect. I didn't 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:05.360 see New England coming. So who called? Was it? Bucko? 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:09.680 Was it? Uh? Was? It was Steinberg? Ron Meyers, Ron 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:12.080 my Mars got on the phone. Hey, Andre, this is 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:14.320 Ron Meyers. We just want to let you know we've 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:17.480 taken you in the second round. And we got two 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.719 more picks coming up. And uh, I was like, okay, 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:22.680 all right, all right. And so I was off the 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:25.160 hook as far as you know, people being in my 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.920 apartment to report is there and you know the draft 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.680 is on, man, I said, you know, now I know 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:34.919 where I'm going. So we've heard throughout the years, you know, 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.880 and famously a guy who you worked with, Tom Brady, 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.240 you know, used one ninety nine sixth round as a 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.120 piece of motivation. Were you pissed enough that you didn't 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.520 go in the first round? Were you pissed enough that, oh, 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:47.880 how to come? The Cowboys didn't draft me? Who? I thought? 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:50.119 How about the Steelers didn't draft me? How about the Raiders? 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:53.480 The Patriots? Who? The Patriots? Did that motivate you when 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:57.919 you came here? A little bit? It did? Because you know, 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:01.760 I obviously my teammates were two teammates were taken before me, 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:05.599 uh ken Kenny Simms first picking the draft, and then 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:11.719 uh uh Lester Williams was taken, uh because we had 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:16.719 two first round picks and that that year. And but 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:19.279 when I got here, I kind of understood what was 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.040 going on. They were trying they were building something, and 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:26.479 I immediately kind of saw what was going on and 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:28.719 how they were trying to put things together that cut 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.839 some people, some people had been traded, and you know, 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.479 they had all these draft picks, and so I could 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:38.600 see the bigger picture of what, excuse me, eventually, uh, 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:42.600 they were looking for. But I was still looking around 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.680 at the two first round draft picks, and I'm like, 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.200 I gotta outplay these guys every opportunity that I get, 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.840 and I'm gonna I'm gonna be in somebody's face as 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:54.880 far as trying to get out on the field, trying 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:59.000 to get reps and just push with the advent. By 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:01.240 the way of twenty twenty hindsight, is it funny to 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:04.279 hear Andre Tippett talking about, you know, I gotta outplay 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:07.040 Kenny Simms, you know, uh known as game Day and 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:10.680 Lester Williams was tremendous talent from the University of Miami, right, absolutely, 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:13.080 But listening to tip like as a kid going I 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:16.240 play these guys, how'd that work out? You know? How 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.440 did that work out well? And And there's a quote 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.960 from Ron Meyer, Matt when Andre Tippett hits someone, they 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:27.560 stay hit. That's pretty good. I like that. That makes 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:30.520 me laugh, right, oh man, we had some good times. 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:32.800 We got some good times. It was you know, you 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.799 know eighty two was a short lived season, right. People 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:39.239 forget that we were only eight games played because everybody 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.359 made the tournament. Right, Yeah, we were in the tournament. 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:43.839 We we we we we had to strike. And that 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:46.000 freaked me out too. Man. I was like, I just 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:48.679 got in the car and I had a town house 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:52.280 and I'm like, man, I said, I might lose my house, 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:55.960 and like what's going on and stop paying house is 0:06:56.000 --> 0:07:00.280 over here to make the make the pay the bills. Um. 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:02.640 So you've been a part of this organization, Andrea, for 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.719 thirty seven years. I think I'm right, thirty seven continuous years. 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:07.840 And we'll get to that a little bit. But thirty 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:11.720 seven years ago a long time ago. There's kids, my 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:14.840 kids especially, they have no idea what the Patriots were 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:16.880 like back in nineteen eighty two. What was a culture 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:21.200 like back here at that time? Tip Man, Well, you know, 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:24.160 obviously we were trying to we were trying to change things. 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:26.840 We were trying to you know, they were trying to win. 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:29.520 We had a lot of guys on the team that 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:35.120 had had some success there earlier part of the seventies, 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:44.440 you know, John Hannah, Steve Nelson, Grogan, and it was 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:49.400 we were building the team and we were trying to 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:55.240 be competitive. Um. You know, It's it's funny you don't 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:57.840 know what the grass is like on the other side 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:00.440 until you know, you hear about it from somebody else. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:05.280 So you know, for instance, obviously training camp was at 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:09.160 Smithville at Bryant College, and then we get here. We 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:12.160 you know, we got the stadium and you know, I 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.280 used to laugh because some guys that I played with 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.160 were talking about how their college stadium was bigger than 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.080 our game stadium, and and like, oh, by the way, 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.040 practice field, y'all got to get in your car and 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:26.440 you gotta drive over to the practice fille and and lunch. 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:28.640 Go do what you gotta do for lunch. And a 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.080 lot of us would run down the street, grab a sandwich, 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.680 come back and get dressed, get ready to go out. 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:41.479 And it was our routine. And so we adjusted, we competeed, 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:45.600 we we we we, we had meetings. There were things 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:52.600 going on that sometimes you question equipment wise, it's funny. 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:54.360 And I tell the guys now, say, you guys have 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.520 no idea how heart it was for us back in 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.200 the day. Just to get a pair of socks. I 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.280 walked by these guys lockers now and it looks like 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:06.400 a foot locker. And then with all the stuff that 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:08.720 they got, they got twenty pairs of shoes, and they 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:12.120 got the clothing. And you know, we had a jock strap, 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:14.439 and we had a pair of socks that I used 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:16.800 to have to put a rubber band or take some 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.520 white white tape around the whole forbid you needed another 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:21.800 pair of socks. God forbid if I needed a pair 0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:24.600 for a game or a pair of shoes for a game, right, 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:27.280 and you know I don't hit anybody while they're while 0:09:27.280 --> 0:09:30.520 they down, and people were passed since then, But it 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:34.880 was it was different. I mean I literally got into 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:40.680 an argument an hour before kickoff because I was looking 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.840 for a pair of socks and I wanted to change shoes. 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.920 And so I mean as a comparison University of Iowa, Okay, 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.839 I mean back in the day, even a nineteen I 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:54.280 know it's an arms race now today, but you would 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.679 more access to stuff as a collegiate player, probably than 0:09:57.760 --> 0:09:59.760 is appropriate. We probably shouldn have gon Hey, why am 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.160 I going backwards? And I'm getting paid? Anything you needed, 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:05.160 anything you needed? It was, it was, It was. It 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:09.240 was a comedy of errors at times when it came. 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:13.079 And that stands out a lot because you hear other guys, 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:14.920 you know, we go to the Pro Bowl or something like, 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.040 hey man, you guys got a bunch of stuff in 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:20.600 your bag to give out and trade with people? You know, 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.720 I tell our guys, hey, can I take some stuff 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:27.920 with me? I want to, you know, we can't what 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:31.120 you need? I like to take some stuff with me, 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:34.560 and but you know, you get the Hawaii and you 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:36.920 look around and guys that have bags full of T 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:40.839 shirts and you didn't get no ice hats, and you 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.200 know we're in there, so all I could trade was 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:46.560 my helmet and my jersey. And I get back here 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:50.000 and they like, Tip, got your back back from Pro Bowl? 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:53.199 Where's your helmet in jersey? And I'm like unbelievable. I said, 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.040 what I said, somebody must have snow. He said, well, 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:59.200 somebody else's helmet is in here? Why is that? Why 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.360 is that lt He's helmet in here? Why you got 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.000 Eric Dickinson helmet in here? What? What? What? Wally? Who's 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:10.520 Wally Hilgenberg? Do the players today? When you talk to 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.280 the kids who are playing today, Chip and you that's 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:16.240 that has to come up at some point time? Does it? Occasionally? 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.120 You know, when I'm sitting around joking with some of 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.400 the guys and you know, and you know versus what 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:23.720 it was like when I was coming through, and how 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.120 was the atmosphere, what was the culture like, and you know, 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:28.959 different things like that. Then I'll give them a lot 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.719 of the Do they believe you? They just shake the head. 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:34.319 How you got to be kidding me, right, Yeah, So Andy, 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:38.319 what impact does that have? Does that stuff have on 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:45.560 on field performance? For us? It we were tough, mentally 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:50.360 tough enough that we didn't let it bother us because 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:53.720 we're mentally tough to know that. You know what, once 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:56.040 we get out on the field, the whistle is blown 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:58.520 and it's time to play football, we put all that 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:01.440 stuff aside. But we just we knew what we were 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:07.120 up against. We knew that things were limited. We knew that, 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:12.600 you know, we we were around people that were set 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:16.040 in their ways. I mean, you you don't see it 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.040 much now, but back in the day, you saw guys 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.760 that were equipment managers and trainers that had already been 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.480 in the league thirty something years, and they kind of 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:29.760 you know, the owners are nothing's gonna ever happen to 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.640 those guys. Nowadays, you know, Bill Belichick can come into 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:35.520 a situation, right and he can say, this is what 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:39.520 I want for my players for my team, and he's 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:43.040 fortunate enough here to have an owner that that helps 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:47.200 him do that stuff. When Ray Berry replaces Ron Meyer 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.560 as your head coach, does he have the ability to 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:54.600 come in and demand changes or is it status quo? 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.360 As far as that goes, because Billy Sullivan's the owner 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:04.040 and this is the way it is. Uh, I think, yes, 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:09.760 it was you know Bill was, I mean, uh, Coach 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:14.440 Barry was was sort of that player coach, so he 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:20.720 kind of knew. Um, he made the atmosphere around here 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:24.480 a lot better. It was uh right away, Yeah, very 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:29.880 professional and uh but yeah, the the other the other 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.960 stuff that we're talking about. The it was what it was, 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:35.720 and there was nothing that we could do about it. 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:42.880 But the attitude changed. Uh. We we we saw immediately 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.959 this is interesting and we're hearing things and we're seeing things, 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:51.240 and we're we're buying into to to to to the 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:54.720 little things that Coach Barry believed that we all should do, 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.760 you know, little things like you know, we everybody had putty. 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:01.120 Everybody had to have putty, and then meeting rooms you 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.000 had to play with putty. Keep your fingers strong. Because 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:06.840 we were starting, guys were having finger injuries and stuff 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:09.960 like that. You know, in the beginning, we were like 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.960 what is he talking? But you know what, there was 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:19.560 a valid point to it. It became such a thing 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:22.240 that guys were grabbing extra putty, putting them in their bags, 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:24.600 go home, and you know, when you're sitting around watching TV, 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.280 you play with putty to keep your fingers strong. You know, 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:31.640 all of a sudden we gotta scoop and block punch 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:34.960 and practice. Why we gotta do all that stuff? Well, 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:38.560 all of a sudden we start blocking punch. All sudden 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:44.520 someone fumbles the ball. It's not new to us. Everybody's scooping, bending, grabbing, 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:49.520 scoring and we're making points and all sudden, Okay, now 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:52.680 we know why everybody in training camp got a line 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.720 up and four or five lines and block punch every 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:58.360 day and different things like that. And what better way 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:01.640 to really express that tip then that run in nineteen 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:05.080 eighty five, You know when you know you scoop and 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:09.800 score in the LA Coliseum against the Raiders and seventeen 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:13.640 takeaways in most three playoffs, and everybody spoiled here. You know, 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.880 everybody's crying in their beer about UM. You know they 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.200 can't believe that they, you know, didn't automatically get you know, 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:22.920 UM exalted into the AC Championship game like they have 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:25.600 for the last eight years. But you can be you're 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:29.400 the living, breathing monument to the fact that you were 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.760 with the first team that went to the first Super Bowl. 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:35.200 You were on the wild card team. You had to 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:37.360 win three games in order to get to the Super Bowl. 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:43.400 Remos right, remind fans, what was that magical ride? Like ten, 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:48.840 it was the most unbelievable ride I've ever been on. 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.520 I mean, I had great moments at Iowa, being the 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.320 first to go to the Rose Bowl when Big ten 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.520 champion high school. I went to two state championships, but 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:00.680 getting here and you know, it's like that ultimate I mean, 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:04.120 I sat, I must have sat and watched every uh 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:09.120 Stiller Super Bowl or every Cowboys Super Bowl, and then 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:12.280 here I am playing National Football League and we are 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.680 in the playoffs and we're talking about things, and you know, 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:18.760 it didn't bother us. The fact that we knew we 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:21.320 a wild card team, the fact that we were in it, 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:25.680 and it was like we we we wasn't afraid of anything. 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:29.640 And believe it or not, we had lost to the 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:34.760 Jets regulars season, we had lost to the Raiders during 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:38.920 the season. We had lost obviously to Miami U that 0:16:39.000 --> 0:16:41.080 Monday night game right at the end of the season, 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:45.240 and uh eighteenth straight loss at the Orange Part absolutely so, 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:48.720 you know, but it was like it Raymond Berry had 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:54.960 us so geeked up and and the Miami Monday night game, 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.960 he stood up in the locker room we had just 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.080 come in. It was a close game. I believe he 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:03.560 lost twenty right at the end. They're all got right 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:05.480 down there. It was a three point I think it 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.480 was like, you know, different three points or whatever. And 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.760 he stood up in front of us and he had 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.240 that he had a finger that was broken from his 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.080 receiver days. And he stood up and he and he 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:19.160 did one of these moves here and he just said 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:21.880 to us. He says, men, I just want to say 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:24.960 one thing to you guys, and one thing only, and 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:28.840 I want you to hear me. He says, We've been delayed, 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:31.880 but I'm telling you, guys, we not We will not 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:37.239 be denied. And we're looking at him like, wow, you know, 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:40.040 you think about exactly what he said. And we all 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:45.520 heard it, and lo and behole. We're in the wild card. 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:49.480 So we're playing the Jets, and we go there and 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.160 we played them totally different than what we had played 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:56.400 them during the regular season. We put a beating on them. 0:17:56.880 --> 0:18:00.359 We got out of the quarterback and again turnovers, you 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:05.560 got some scooping scores. Yep, we go to the Raiders again. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:09.159 Everybody's talking about they hyping the Raiders and you know 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:11.359 they're gonna, you know they're gonna and and how we 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.320 long gonna beat us to death out there, and and 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:18.520 and and and and and and uh almost did what 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:21.320 we told. We told Pat Sullivan and stay with us, man, 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.240 you stay with the backers. Man, we got your back. No, 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:25.399 he goes wondering off and do his own thing and 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:30.600 co cot but uh we do it. Um. We finally 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:35.159 get to the AFC Championship game and I'm listening to 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:40.160 one of the coaches as we're as we're departing off 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:45.000 the airplane in Miami, and he's telling the receivers, look, 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:50.000 we're gonna probably change some things this week and get 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.520 ready for the game. We're gonna need you guys to 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:55.560 block a little bit more. So I'm looking at Stanley Morgan, 0:18:56.040 --> 0:19:02.560 Urban Friar, uh C Jones, Stephan Star and they all 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.200 got that look like, man, you must be out of 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:07.560 your damn mind. You think we're gonna be blocking, Man, 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.920 we don't. We're gonna be catching the ball. And all 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:17.400 sudden it rains. Phil is drenched, so to have that 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:20.600 that hindsight. Raymond Barry has already done his work. He 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:24.480 knows that. You know, none of us check weather. We're 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:27.720 coming to Miami. So all of a sudden it rains 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:33.640 like crazy. We end up running the ball for yeah, 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:38.080 and it was like I might have thrown twelve passes 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.480 absolutely touchdown. Yeah. And I remember Guard rest his soul 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:44.120 mosy at the end now when he scored at the end, 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:47.119 and we utilize the running game and longohole, you know, 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.320 the receivers. Though, it was funny. It was the funniest 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.040 thing because I saw the look on Stanley Morgan's vay, Man, 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:55.399 this is the ASC Championship. We're going to air this 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.640 thing out. Man. I'm like, well, and you look back 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:02.000 on all that stuff though, you know, we we squished 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.760 the fish and we we we closed the Orange Bowl 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:08.639 out and uh, it was an amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:13.720 Now I thought we were gonna at least have two 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.320 or three more opportunities to return. Well, let's look before 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:18.879 we get to the return part, let me ask you this. 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.240 So your guys are flying high, three straight road wins, takeaways, 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:24.800 scoop and scores. There are the Bears with the T 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:27.120 shirts that where everybody had to have. I remember having 0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:30.000 one as a kid. Did you legitimately think you had 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:33.200 a shot against them? We did because we had played 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:36.760 the Bears second third game in the season in twenty seven, 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:40.919 twenty to seven. I mean all right, well weren't on 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:43.639 our game. We were still you know, we had a 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:46.840 we we had a come to Jesus opportunity during that 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:50.920 season when that happened, because we we we we we 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:53.360 woke up. You know, we went on a six game 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:58.320 winning streak after we played Cleveland, and so in our mind, 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:02.359 Chicago Bear is they beat us twenty you know, twenty 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:06.480 to seven and and a big thing. We're gonna play 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:09.800 them different. They don't know what's coming their way. Well, 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:12.639 we weren't paying attention to the Bears and how they 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:16.320 were wrecking everybody in the NFC and how they were 0:21:16.400 --> 0:21:20.320 knocking people out left and right, knocking quarterbacks out. So 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.080 we didn't have a clue. But yes, we we thought 0:21:23.160 --> 0:21:25.399 that we were gonna come into that game. Miami had 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:27.639 beaten them at the end of the season, absolutely stopped 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:30.600 it for being undefeated. Yeah, so I'm like, it's not 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:34.160 like guys are gonna be coming out in this game 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:37.720 with sledge Hammerson in their pocket, knocking us out. But 0:21:37.840 --> 0:21:40.280 they came out in that game with sledge Hammerson in 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:44.000 their pocket and they started pumping. I remember, I remember it. 0:21:44.080 --> 0:21:48.440 So you get the first turnover, right, Peyton fumbles, It's 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.000 here we go again. Takeaways, that close pass at the 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:56.840 goal line to Friar that I think that Gary Fencik 0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:59.159 maybe broke up or shitting in the stands in that 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:03.440 end zone away. And then when Tony Franklin comes out 0:22:03.480 --> 0:22:05.480 and gives the Patriots a three nothing lead, I'm watching 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:07.560 in my living room and it says like in the 0:22:07.600 --> 0:22:10.360 first nineteen Super Bowls, the team that scores first is 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:16.879 some great record, And I'm like, yes, do that's serious? Right? 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:20.679 So so they incomplete to Morgan out to Lynn Dawson. 0:22:20.720 --> 0:22:23.600 He broke his leg, slowed the game down for a while, 0:22:23.800 --> 0:22:25.639 didn't get a completion on third down, head to kick 0:22:25.680 --> 0:22:27.400 the field goal to make it three to nothing. So 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:31.080 hindsight's always perfect. Tip it's twenty twenty and you're saying, yeah, 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:32.359 we had a shot against the Bears. The only bed 0:22:32.440 --> 0:22:34.119 is twenty to seven. When you look back on it 0:22:34.160 --> 0:22:36.080 now and you're a student of the game and a 0:22:36.119 --> 0:22:38.520 student of the history of the game. Is we celebrate 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:40.800 the one hundredth year of the National Football League. When 0:22:40.800 --> 0:22:43.280 you look back at that eighty five team, nothing about 0:22:43.280 --> 0:22:45.160 to score or anything like that. Can you look back 0:22:45.160 --> 0:22:47.199 and say, that's a hell of a team. That might 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:49.000 have been the best team we've I've ever played against 0:22:49.880 --> 0:22:54.240