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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Titans Amy and Coach Mac podcast, presented

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Speaker 1: by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Need great healthcare coverage with

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Speaker 1: an affordable price tag. Let Farm Bureau Health Plans coach

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Speaker 1: you through it. They've been protecting Tennesseeans for seventy five years.

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Speaker 1: I am Amy Wells. Coach Mack is here, of course,

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Speaker 1: and we are continuing through our names you need to

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Speaker 1: know in the NFL series and Mac, I'm fired up

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Speaker 1: about this one. Yeah, this is a pretty good one.

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Speaker 1: I mean, all these people that we've talked to have

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Speaker 1: been very good friends of mine, but this guy's really

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Speaker 1: close to my heart because he was a former player

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Speaker 1: and a great friend and just an outstanding, outstanding human being,

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Speaker 1: not only on the football field but after football too.

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Speaker 1: So our guest today is in Neias Williams. He's a

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Speaker 1: former NFL safety, spent the majority of his career with

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Speaker 1: the Arizona Cardinals. And Coach Mac. He is someone who,

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Speaker 1: as a human being, is just very close to your heart.

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Speaker 1: Tell me why, Well, you know, when when I left

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Speaker 1: the Bears and I went to Arizona as a defensive coordinator,

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Speaker 1: you know, Aeneas had just signed his second contract with

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Speaker 1: the Cardinals. You know, he played it at Southern University

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Speaker 1: in New Orleans and had developed into probably one of

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Speaker 1: the two or three pure lockdown corners in the National

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Speaker 1: Football League and had decided, even though the Cardinals had

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Speaker 1: not had much success in his first term there of

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Speaker 1: his contract, said he was going to resign with the

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Speaker 1: club in the hopes of being able to elevate the team.

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Speaker 1: It was a big signing for the Cardinals when he went.

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Speaker 1: He did it before I came down there, and so

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Speaker 1: he was on the first year of his of his

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Speaker 1: new contract when I came down there, and so immediately,

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Speaker 1: you know, I once I got to know him as

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Speaker 1: a as a defensive coordinator. There was a time, I

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Speaker 1: think it was probably two and a half three months

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Speaker 1: into our time together. We had already been on the field,

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Speaker 1: you know, some during the OTAs, and so when training

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Speaker 1: camp started, you know, I talked to him. One brought

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Speaker 1: him over one time and I told him, I said, Nickie.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that's people that know him, that's what that's

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Speaker 1: what his nickname was growing up in New Orleans. I said, Niki,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you something. Having you play corner for

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Speaker 1: me in this league gives me the same confidence I

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Speaker 1: had of Mike's Singletary playing middle linebacker for me at

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Speaker 1: the Bears. And he stopped and said, Coach, that's the

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Speaker 1: best compliment I've ever heard in my life. I said,

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't give it to you. And I'm not just

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Speaker 1: saying it to say it, but everything that you do,

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Speaker 1: the way you prepare, the way you play, who you are,

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Speaker 1: how you bring this team around you, I said, it

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Speaker 1: reminds me so much of what Mike Singletary, you know,

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Speaker 1: who's a first ballot Hall of Famer added to the

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Speaker 1: Chicago Bears. And I said, you are that, you are

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Speaker 1: that cut it out of the same cloth. I said,

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Speaker 1: I just want you to know that. And so you know,

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Speaker 1: we developed a very close bond. And then, as you'll

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Speaker 1: hear when we talk about this, I mean, Nias was

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Speaker 1: there through some very rough times, decided to stay and uh,

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Speaker 1: you know when I went in there in our in

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Speaker 1: our third season there and a niece was a big

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Speaker 1: part of it. You know, we were able to beat

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Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas in the playoff game, which

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Speaker 1: was the first playoff victory for that franchise in fifty

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Speaker 1: one years. It was huge and also we were able

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Speaker 1: to get a stadium and a NIS and I have

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Speaker 1: always been very close. And as you know, you'll you'll

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Speaker 1: find out, you know, when his second when his contract

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Speaker 1: was up with us, you know, well then I didn't

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Speaker 1: want to lose a Nis, but I also knew that

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Speaker 1: Nias deserved a chance, you know, to be able to

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Speaker 1: beat because that we were a good team. But we

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Speaker 1: were never going to be that team to be able

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Speaker 1: to put it over the top because of a lot

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Speaker 1: of financial reasons, because the things that were going on.

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Speaker 1: But there are a lot of people that are interested

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Speaker 1: in him for a third contract, and so that's when

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Speaker 1: he went to the Rams and then went to the

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Speaker 1: Super Bowl with the Rams. So he and I have

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Speaker 1: been very very close for a long time. He's a

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Speaker 1: very interesting, interesting man. But he means a lot to

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Speaker 1: the National Football League. He means a lot to the

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Speaker 1: NFL Legends community, and he just means a lot to

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Speaker 1: everybody that he comes in contact with, which you will hear.

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Speaker 1: I mean, he's extended his his post playing days. I

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Speaker 1: mean he's a pastor now and he's done some remarkable things.

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Speaker 1: They're in Saint Louis. How did he help you in

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Speaker 1: your time as a coach for the Cardinals organization. Well,

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Speaker 1: if we want to just let's just talk football first.

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Speaker 1: You know, when I came in, you know, as a

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Speaker 1: very young coordinator, and you know, I sat down with

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Speaker 1: him very quickly. Because when you come in new to

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Speaker 1: a place as a coach, and especially one that has

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Speaker 1: responsibility as a head coach or as a coordinator, you

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Speaker 1: need to get the good players. They need to buy

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Speaker 1: into what you're into what you're doing. And so he

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Speaker 1: and I would would sit down and he and he

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Speaker 1: told me, Coach, I will I will help you with

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Speaker 1: these guys. We will. You know, I believe in what

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Speaker 1: you're when what you say you're going to do. I

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Speaker 1: believe in you know, this new regime that that you're

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Speaker 1: coming in here with. And so I will do anything

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Speaker 1: I can to help you. And he did, you know.

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Speaker 1: And so when you go into an organization that hasn't

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Speaker 1: hadn't won in a long time, first of all, you've

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Speaker 1: got to be able to establish another type of thought

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Speaker 1: process with in the whole team and really within the

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Speaker 1: whole building. But your main players have to buy in.

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Speaker 1: And he was one of the first guys that really

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Speaker 1: bought in and it helped a lot. And then you

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Speaker 1: talk about, you know, football wise, we were still in

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Speaker 1: the NFC East when I was the coordinator there, and

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Speaker 1: so it meant, you know, we played the Cowboys twice

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Speaker 1: a year and that's when they had those great teams

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Speaker 1: going on. My game plans against the Cowboys that I

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Speaker 1: that I did for all the years I was a coordinator.

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Speaker 1: Every time we played him, which was twice a year,

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Speaker 1: you know, I would I would stand up in front

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Speaker 1: of the room and say, a niss, you've got Michael

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Speaker 1: Irving man to man the whole game. Can I count

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Speaker 1: on you for that? And he'd say, yes, sir. Then

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Speaker 1: I could use the other ten to do things. And

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Speaker 1: so we had great success a lot of times. But

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Speaker 1: he was willing to wear that hat. And it wasn't

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Speaker 1: easy because a lot of times, I mean, you know,

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Speaker 1: it is just talking football. If you're if you're that man,

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Speaker 1: a man locked up corner and you don't have a

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Speaker 1: great rush, you don't have great pressure, you don't have

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Speaker 1: you know, all of those things puts a lot of

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Speaker 1: pressure on a cornerback. But he not only stepped up,

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Speaker 1: he was able to be, you know, one of the

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Speaker 1: best in the league. I mean, he truly is. He's

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Speaker 1: in the Hall of Fame now for a reason, you know.

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Speaker 1: And of course A Nias was involved and probably one

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Speaker 1: of the bigger plays in the history of the Cardinals

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Speaker 1: organization getting the stadium because it's close to not getting it.

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Speaker 1: And then the Sunday before the vote, A Nis returns

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Speaker 1: a fumble into the end zone by Stephen Davis of

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Speaker 1: the Washington football team Washington Commanders. Now I guess one

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Speaker 1: hundred and four yards for a touchdown, and we win

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Speaker 1: the game. And so then that next Tuesday, we win

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Speaker 1: the vote. He's he's gonna he's in the in the

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Speaker 1: Cardinals Ring of Honor. He deserves to be, you know,

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Speaker 1: but he's in the National Football League Hall of Fame.

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Speaker 1: And as I say, he deserves all of that, not

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Speaker 1: only as a player, but as a as a person

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Speaker 1: and as a human being. And I've been associated with

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Speaker 1: a lot of really great players, you know, my thirty

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Speaker 1: one years of coaching in this league and now going

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Speaker 1: on to what six years of broadcasting in this league.

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Speaker 1: There's a lot of great people out there. But Enis

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Speaker 1: Williams is right at the top of the list. You

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Speaker 1: mentioned that early in his career, he was on some

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Speaker 1: teams that weren't performing very well for him to maybe

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Speaker 1: not be generating on paper the success that you would

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Speaker 1: associate with a Hall of Famer and to still have

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Speaker 1: him be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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Speaker 1: in twenty fourteen. What does that say about not only

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Speaker 1: his productivity as a player on the field, but as

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Speaker 1: a human off the field, the things that he was

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Speaker 1: able to do to warrant being a Hall of Fame player. Well,

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Speaker 1: there's a lot of good players on some not good teams.

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Speaker 1: That's not their fault, just like there's a lot of

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Speaker 1: good coaches on not good teams that sometimes it's not

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Speaker 1: their fault. There's so much he goes, but whenever an

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Speaker 1: opponent would turn on a film, they would know who

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Speaker 1: in Nie Williams was. They would know. I think one

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Speaker 1: of the biggest compliments, you know, I listened to all

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Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame speeches and when Michael Irvin was

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Speaker 1: being inducted, and then when a Nie was inducted, Michael

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Speaker 1: Irvin said, the biggest challenge I ever had during my

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Speaker 1: career was going one on one against Nie Williams. That's

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Speaker 1: just the truth. But but in Ennis, really, he never,

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Speaker 1: he never. He's such a strong human being. Faith wise,

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Speaker 1: he's such a strong human being, you know, just with

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Speaker 1: who he is and what he does. He would never

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Speaker 1: ever let outside circumstances dictate how he approached his job.

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Speaker 1: You know, I have never seen him have a bad day.

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Speaker 1: He never came in, you know, with an attitude of

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Speaker 1: poor me. I'm a great player on not a good team.

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Speaker 1: He made the not good team a good team, you know.

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Speaker 1: And so if you were an O opponent watching tape,

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Speaker 1: when you watched Ennis Williams, it really didn't matter what

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Speaker 1: the score was. He was performing at a level that

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Speaker 1: you knew was special. And the National Football League going

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Speaker 1: of the things he's really gotten involved with is the

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Speaker 1: Legends community, which is the group of players who are

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Speaker 1: former players. How has that impacted the National Football League

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Speaker 1: as a whole, Well, it's been It's been big because

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Speaker 1: especially when you have players like in Ennis Williams are

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Speaker 1: involved in this and helping not only to mentor former players,

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Speaker 1: but also be able to speak. You know, when he

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Speaker 1: quit playing, Jeff Fisher and I we we've brought him

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Speaker 1: into the rams to speak to the team, you know,

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Speaker 1: we had him at we had him at training camp.

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Speaker 1: I mean, he's a guy that you want young players

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Speaker 1: to learn from, and not only to learn you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm not talking about defensive back technique. I'm not talking

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Speaker 1: about strategy as a player. I'm talking about how to

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Speaker 1: be a professional, how to be a professional in your life,

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Speaker 1: in your whole life, you know, off of the field,

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Speaker 1: with your family, if you're married, with your wife, all

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Speaker 1: of these things. Nias Williams knows, and he's he's got

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Speaker 1: that that that that that mentorship type of a spirit.

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Speaker 1: And people, look, I've had so many young defensive backs

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Speaker 1: ask me, just like I have young linebackers because they

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Speaker 1: know my association with Mike Singletary, ask me, do you

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Speaker 1: think you could ever get hold of one of these

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Speaker 1: guys and I could talk to him and and I

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Speaker 1: say sure, And they're more than willing to do it.

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Speaker 1: At all times, they're more than willing to do it.

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Speaker 1: Nias Williams is just a special, special person. That's why

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Speaker 1: he's involved with the league office. They understand the effect

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Speaker 1: that he had as on former players and the effect

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Speaker 1: that he has on current players well. And that's also

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Speaker 1: why he is associated with the Titans. Amy Coachmack podcast.

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Speaker 1: Here's our conversation with Anias Williams. Mac, You've been talking

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Speaker 1: about having this person on the show for a really

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Speaker 1: long time, and I'm so excited we are finally able

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Speaker 1: to make it happen and Nias Williams is here. Mac,

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Speaker 1: I want to ask you about a Nias to start

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Speaker 1: us off. What is it about this human being that

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Speaker 1: stands out to you so much? Let me tell you

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Speaker 1: what I told Niki, which is what people that are

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Speaker 1: really close to him call him. That's his nickname that

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Speaker 1: not a lot of people know, but Enius Williams. When

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Speaker 1: I took the defensive coordinator job coming from Chicago at Arizona,

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Speaker 1: Annias had just resigned with the Cardinals. You know, he

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Speaker 1: was drafted by the Cardinals out of Southern University, had

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Speaker 1: just resigned his second contract with the Cardinals. And after

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Speaker 1: being with him for about two months, I pulled him

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Speaker 1: aside and I said, a Nis, I want you to

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Speaker 1: take this the right way. You don't know me very

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Speaker 1: well yet, but you are going to. But I want

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Speaker 1: to let you know this. Having you play cornerback in

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Speaker 1: my defense is exactly like having Mike Singletary play mental

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Speaker 1: linebacker in the defense. I just left at the Bears

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Speaker 1: after seven years, and I said, I just want you

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Speaker 1: to know that's how I feel about you. This is

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Speaker 1: a special human being. Let's take the football player completely

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Speaker 1: out of it. Amy. This is one of This is

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Speaker 1: one of the best human beings on the planet. And

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Speaker 1: I just I'm so fortunate to be able to call

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Speaker 1: him not only just a former player, but really true friend. Nis.

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Speaker 1: I feel like I have to ask a similar question

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Speaker 1: of you about Coach Mack. What was it like playing

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Speaker 1: for Dave McGinnis. First, thank you Coach Mac for allowing

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Speaker 1: me and inviting me to be on this call. Coach Mack.

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Speaker 1: When I think about coaches in their impact on players lives,

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Speaker 1: being a man a Christ follower, a lot of times

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Speaker 1: you hear the word faith, but when you spoke those

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Speaker 1: words Coach Mac, and I I've gotten to understand coach

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Speaker 1: Sean McVeigh just a little and been paying attention to

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Speaker 1: other coaches. One of the things that a coach can

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Speaker 1: do is speak things that are possible in a player's

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Speaker 1: ears that that player may not know that they're capable

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Speaker 1: of doing it, or may not be sure if they

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Speaker 1: can do it, because Mac. When you said those words

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Speaker 1: to me, you share them from your heart, and they

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Speaker 1: hit my heart. So literally, what coaches do when they

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Speaker 1: speak that type of communication to their players, they literally

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Speaker 1: caused their players to believe it. And I called it

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Speaker 1: the transference of belief. And my time as a player

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Speaker 1: as well as a person was much improved because I

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Speaker 1: got them. Coach mack Well, Nikki again, you and I

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Speaker 1: could go on and on, but look, it was not

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Speaker 1: only a true trust between both of us, it became

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Speaker 1: a true friendship. But I can tell you this, and

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Speaker 1: you can remember the game planned days. I would talk

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Speaker 1: to you on Monday before I talk to anybody else,

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Speaker 1: and I'd say, Niki, this week, you're gonna have to

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Speaker 1: wear the hat against Michael Irvin and I I'm going

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Speaker 1: to use ten other people to beat the Cowboys. Are

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Speaker 1: you ready for that? And not one time, no matter

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Speaker 1: whether it was the Cowboys, whether it was Randy Moss,

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Speaker 1: whoever the best was, I always had that ability, and

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Speaker 1: that helped my career because our defenses could do a

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Speaker 1: lot of really cool things because you could stand alone

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Speaker 1: by yourself against the best out there and just talk

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Speaker 1: to us a little bit about that, about what made

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Speaker 1: you able to have that kind of confidence in yourself

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Speaker 1: in the toughest position in the league to play. To

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Speaker 1: say in Coach mack I got it well one, Coach

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Speaker 1: mac one of my goals was to always play in

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Speaker 1: such a way as a corn back that my defensive

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Speaker 1: back coach would get an opportunity to become a defense coordinator,

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Speaker 1: and that my defens coordinator will have an opportunity to

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Speaker 1: become a head coach. Because I found out what I

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Speaker 1: make happen, I helped make happen for others. God makes

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Speaker 1: happen for me. So getting that task, what you didn't

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Speaker 1: know is when given assignments like that, it pulls out

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Speaker 1: the greatness in us. Because Coach Mackey didn't mean that.

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Speaker 1: I wasn't a little nervous, wasn't a little afraid. But

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Speaker 1: when you gave me that assignment and gave it to

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Speaker 1: me in such a way where you had no more care.

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Speaker 1: As relates to Michael Irvin, I wanted to make sure

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Speaker 1: my coaches also could bear to go to sleep and

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Speaker 1: not think about the assignment that they had given me. Now,

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Speaker 1: one of the things about you that really strikes me

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Speaker 1: is that you weren't always playing on these unbelievable teams.

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Speaker 1: I mean, win or lose, your play always stood out though,

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Speaker 1: no matter the outcome of the game. What was it

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Speaker 1: about you, whether it be mentally or physically or probably

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Speaker 1: a combination of both that made you stand out no

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Speaker 1: matter the circumstances of what was happening within a team

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Speaker 1: or within a game because of the great game of

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Speaker 1: football is a team sport. We do win and lose

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Speaker 1: based on the school board, but each individual player has

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Speaker 1: to decide whether they're going to become a loser because

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Speaker 1: the team is losing. So I attempted to set a

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Speaker 1: standard for my play started out individually that I would

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Speaker 1: play and prepare to the best I could in order

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Speaker 1: to do a best I can to cause positive outcome

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Speaker 1: on behalf of our team. And there are a couple

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Speaker 1: of people that come to mind. Coach Mac and that's

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Speaker 1: Mike Marx when they traded for me, Yes, gave up

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Speaker 1: the second in the fourth round draft pick. When he

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Speaker 1: coached Mike mars the Rams coach at the head coach

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Speaker 1: at that time, and coach Lovey Smith, the defense coordinated

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Speaker 1: at the time. When Tracy and I, my wife and

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Speaker 1: I got off the plane, they picked us up, and

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Speaker 1: Coach March said to me, he said, even though you

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Speaker 1: guys didn't win a lot of games, I never could

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Speaker 1: tell by the way you played what the score was

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Speaker 1: because of the standard by which you played. The other

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Speaker 1: person that comes to mind is the late coach John Matten.

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Speaker 1: When I was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,

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Speaker 1: Coach Nack he told my father, he said, Lawrence, mister Williams,

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Speaker 1: you need to know, not a lot of guys get

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Speaker 1: into the Pro Football Hall of Fame who comes from

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Speaker 1: losing teams. He said, a lot of these guys that

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Speaker 1: are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they're very good,

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Speaker 1: but a majority of them are on very good teams.

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Speaker 1: He says, your son is one of the guys that's

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Speaker 1: in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that was able

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Speaker 1: to operate with a stand of excellence and competitive excellence

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Speaker 1: even though his team was not winning well. See anis

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Speaker 1: And I'm so glad that Amy asked that, because that's

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Speaker 1: such a relevant question, especially to you. You know, when

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Speaker 1: Vince Tobin got the head job there and I came

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Speaker 1: as a coordinator, it was because things had not been

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Speaker 1: going really good for you guys. You know when you

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Speaker 1: were drafted from Southern and when we had gotten there,

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Speaker 1: you had made the decision to stay with the franchise

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Speaker 1: and sign a second contract, to sign a second contract,

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Speaker 1: and you told us, I want to be here to

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Speaker 1: at least help this place start to get to where

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Speaker 1: they want to go. And I'm gonna take you to

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Speaker 1: a time as to where we did that. You know,

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Speaker 1: we were able in nineteen ninety eight win the first

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Speaker 1: playoff game, go to the playoffs for the first time

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Speaker 1: in fifty one years for that franchise, and beat the

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Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. Just let's go back and you

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Speaker 1: and I reminisce a little bit. Let's talk about the

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Speaker 1: field goal that went through against the Chargers that put

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Speaker 1: us into the playoffs when they arm the field there

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Speaker 1: at Sundevil Stadium and tore the goalpost down. And then

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Speaker 1: that week getting ready to go play that divisional game

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Speaker 1: against Dallas, who was still in our division in it

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Speaker 1: we were in the NFC East. Then take us through

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Speaker 1: that time as far as you were thinking, and you

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Speaker 1: remember our defensive meetings where we said we can beat

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Speaker 1: this football team doing this defensively. Let's go Nikki, Well, first, Amy,

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Speaker 1: I could tell you shout out to my late team

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Speaker 1: meet Kwamie Lassenger, because in that last game against the Chargers,

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Speaker 1: Kwami has four in acceptances. He did and I don't

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Speaker 1: know if anybody has done that since. Because MC knowing

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Speaker 1: that we made the playoffs, it was all worth staying.

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Speaker 1: Because knowing that I was able to play a part

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Speaker 1: in a team having lost for so many years and

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Speaker 1: us turning in around, that's when I knew that Phoenix

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Speaker 1: and that fan base it was there. And I knew

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Speaker 1: that Phoenix and the state of Arizona, if they would

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Speaker 1: just continue to develop and have good teams, that they

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Speaker 1: would have a great fan base. But that game against Dallas,

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Speaker 1: that beat us twice and they didn't hardly respect us

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Speaker 1: to go in Dallas, Coach Mack and have that victory,

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Speaker 1: being able to dominate like we did. Jake Plummet a quarterback,

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Speaker 1: and the players that were made and Coach Mack. There's

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Speaker 1: something that I said in my Hall of Fame speech

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Speaker 1: in reference to the Dallas Cowboys, So the new stadium

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Speaker 1: that they're in, Coach Mack, they started designing that stadium

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Speaker 1: around the year or the year after we beat them.

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Speaker 1: And remember they had a hole in the stadium that

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Speaker 1: open roof, and Jerry Jones had been quoted as saying

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Speaker 1: God looks down on the Cowboys, And so my joke

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Speaker 1: to Michael Irvin and all the Cowboys greats, I said,

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Speaker 1: I talked to the architects that designed that actual building

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Speaker 1: and I asked them, I said, when did you guys

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Speaker 1: start designing this building it? And they told me the

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Speaker 1: year around ninety eight, ninety nine, and I said, man,

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Speaker 1: I figured it out. After we beat the Cowboys, upset

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Speaker 1: them in the playoffs, Jerry decided, Man, I need to

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Speaker 1: build a new stadium because God must now be watching

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Speaker 1: us like we used to. That is so and you

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Speaker 1: know it was, let's actually a great feeling. And I'm

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Speaker 1: glad you bring that up because now and of course

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Speaker 1: I you know, I stayed on, you know, after you left,

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Speaker 1: help get a stadium built there. And now they've got

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Speaker 1: they've got something rolling there. But some of my fondest

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Speaker 1: memory of that was after it was after the ball game,

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Speaker 1: you and I hugging each other in the middle of

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Speaker 1: the field, both crying like babies because you know, we

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Speaker 1: knew and and that that launched me on my head.

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Speaker 1: I got the head coach interviews and and and you

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Speaker 1: went on to and you know when they talked about

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Speaker 1: trading you, and I said, you know, a niece has

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Speaker 1: given everything this franchise. He deserves a chance to go

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Speaker 1: and have a chance immediately to get to a Super Bowl.

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Speaker 1: You what you were able to do. And so to me, Niki,

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Speaker 1: that just worked out so great. But let's talk about

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Speaker 1: now your post plane career. That to me is what

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Speaker 1: defines you as a man. Talk to us a little

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Speaker 1: bit about what you are doing now, not only for

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Speaker 1: the league, but what you are doing as a pastor

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Speaker 1: of a beautiful church. Well, thank you, Coach Mac and

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Speaker 1: my wife Tracy and I married twenty nine years as

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Speaker 1: a January of this year, we started this church in

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Speaker 1: our basements called the Spirit Church here in Saint Louis, Missouri,

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Speaker 1: and just serving the community and serving people. Where my

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Speaker 1: relationship with Jesus Christ that I was discipled. I have

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Speaker 1: mentorship and people helped me understand how the scriptures related

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Speaker 1: to everyday life, and so it was in my heart,

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Speaker 1: in our heart to start a ministry. We have two services.

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Speaker 1: On Sunday, we have what's called a men's locker room.

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Speaker 1: Coach mac where men come from all over the city

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Speaker 1: once a month, every first Monday of the month. And

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Speaker 1: it's just been seeing lives change, seeing communities change, and

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Speaker 1: pouring it to young people, mentorship, all of those things

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Speaker 1: that Jesus did in order to serve people. And that's

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Speaker 1: what we've been doing. And as it relates to the

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Speaker 1: work with the National Football League, serving under Troy Vinson,

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00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,000
Speaker 1: vice President of Football Operations, serving and working with Commission

432
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,520
Speaker 1: of the DELL as well as with the owners, and

433
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:49,119
Speaker 1: I also have a role on the committee that's a

434
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:53,359
Speaker 1: part of the Inspired Change Initiative with the league, where

435
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,359
Speaker 1: over two hundred and fifty million dollars that's been earmarked

436
00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:01,399
Speaker 1: toward Inspired and Change and donating us and organizations that

437
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:06,160
Speaker 1: are literally grassroots cause and change in the different communities

438
00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:11,200
Speaker 1: and particularly communities of color and communities where they're disadvantages.

439
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:15,359
Speaker 1: And Ni, you are just such an inspirational person. Before

440
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:17,360
Speaker 1: we let you go, I've got to ask what advice

441
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,040
Speaker 1: you would have for guys who are in the league

442
00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:22,800
Speaker 1: right now. The game of football looks a little bit

443
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,720
Speaker 1: different from when you played. This league has continued to

444
00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:29,359
Speaker 1: grow and evolve and change, but in the end there's

445
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,880
Speaker 1: still men playing a game. What advice would you have

446
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 1: for those guys? Number one, Amy, I love the game.

447
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,240
Speaker 1: I love the current generation of players. I love the

448
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:44,040
Speaker 1: rules that need to change in order to help benefit

449
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 1: where when our guys leave the game, they have a

450
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:51,320
Speaker 1: higher likelihood of living healthy lives. My advice to the

451
00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:56,520
Speaker 1: current players is for them to remember that those that

452
00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,639
Speaker 1: were in their seats decades before, as well as owners,

453
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,280
Speaker 1: as well as the Players Association and players all made

454
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:09,320
Speaker 1: decisions that have caused this game to continue the skyrocket

455
00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:12,720
Speaker 1: and grow. That means while we were playing and why

456
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,520
Speaker 1: people played that was even before me. They played the

457
00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:22,800
Speaker 1: game where they had integrity, character, made decisions, compromising decisions.

458
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:26,919
Speaker 1: Whether it's the NFLPA connecting with the league players are

459
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:31,159
Speaker 1: working together to cause this game to be the number

460
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:35,959
Speaker 1: one sports league in the world. To remind the current guys,

461
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:41,120
Speaker 1: they're the current stewards of the game, and I want

462
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,600
Speaker 1: them to remember how they played a game, how they

463
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:50,000
Speaker 1: respect the game will have a huge impact on whether

464
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:54,320
Speaker 1: this game will be around for subsequent generations. That's what

465
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,560
Speaker 1: I want them to know about the current stewardship and

466
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 1: their responsibility while their on the plan. Well, Nikki you

467
00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,720
Speaker 1: said you loved the game and you loved what you did.

468
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,800
Speaker 1: You know that. I love you and I sincerely appreciate

469
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:10,960
Speaker 1: you doing this. You know what you mean to me

470
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,040
Speaker 1: and and this is going to be inspirational to people

471
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,280
Speaker 1: that listen to it. But Anius Williams Hall of Famer,

472
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:20,400
Speaker 1: not just on the field, hall of fame human being.

473
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,440
Speaker 1: Thanks Niki, love you, man, Love you too. Coach Mac,

474
00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,800
Speaker 1: thank you, and thank you Amy. Greatly appreciate you guys

475
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:37,080
Speaker 1: having you on awesome. Thank you so much for your time. Mac.

476
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,679
Speaker 1: You're not kidding. Great human being. Yeah, And that's the

477
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,800
Speaker 1: number one thing. And that's what that's what he wants

478
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,159
Speaker 1: to be known as because he you know, he was

479
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,399
Speaker 1: a great player. You don't get a gold jacket not

480
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,240
Speaker 1: being a great player. But as a as a human being,

481
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 1: he's right at the top of the list. I'm so fortunate.

482
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,400
Speaker 1: I am fortunate to have had that association with him

483
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,000
Speaker 1: and still do. Yeah, and to be able to hear

484
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,239
Speaker 1: straight from the horse's mouth some of the experiences that

485
00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:08,280
Speaker 1: he's had, and also just his love of the game.

486
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,200
Speaker 1: Man who he can't match that well, you don't get

487
00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 1: you don't get to that level in this League's that's extremely,

488
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,479
Speaker 1: extremely challenging if you don't love the game. True that,

489
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,440
Speaker 1: coach Mac, true that. Yeah, And not only just playing

490
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,399
Speaker 1: the game, it's what it takes to be able to

491
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,800
Speaker 1: get ready to play the game right and everything that

492
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,960
Speaker 1: he's been able to do after as a pastor as well,

493
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,840
Speaker 1: I mean, requires a tremendous amount of dedication. And I

494
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,560
Speaker 1: think that being able to hear from people who are

495
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,159
Speaker 1: dedicated to whatever it is they're choosing to do is

496
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,360
Speaker 1: is pretty powerful. Well, he's he's he's a powerful human being.

497
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:47,160
Speaker 1: You know. I had a very close friend that had

498
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:52,280
Speaker 1: a Ford dealership in Hannibal, Missouri for fifty plus years,

499
00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,040
Speaker 1: and he's my car dealer. In nineteen seventy five when

500
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,160
Speaker 1: I first went to work at the University of Missouri

501
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,320
Speaker 1: with a dealer car, well, thirty five years later, I

502
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,480
Speaker 1: was still getting a car from him. And uh, you know,

503
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,159
Speaker 1: his name was Tom Bowland, and so, uh, you know,

504
00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:06,840
Speaker 1: I brought him to a lot of the games, and

505
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:08,879
Speaker 1: so you know, a nis met him because you know,

506
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,280
Speaker 1: I'd always introduced all the people i'd bring to games

507
00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,080
Speaker 1: that were important to me to a niss And then

508
00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:16,960
Speaker 1: when a niece originally got out. Then he got involved

509
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:18,520
Speaker 1: with it. He wanted to buy a car dealership in

510
00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,199
Speaker 1: New Orleans and so, you know, he asked me, you

511
00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:23,439
Speaker 1: think Tom Bowland would talk to me a little bit

512
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,800
Speaker 1: about because he'd been a Ford dealer for forty five years,

513
00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,359
Speaker 1: so he knew he knows knew the business, and so

514
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,240
Speaker 1: he did. He spent time with a nist. They spent

515
00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,720
Speaker 1: time together. Fast forward to you know, Tom Bowling, God

516
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,200
Speaker 1: rest his soul, you know, finally his heart was giving

517
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 1: out on him. And I went to visit him in

518
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:41,960
Speaker 1: Hannibal and kind of in the last couple of weeks,

519
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:43,359
Speaker 1: you know, when he was alive, and I called a

520
00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,080
Speaker 1: niss and Saint Louis, I said, a niece, I just

521
00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,320
Speaker 1: want you to know that just a phone call from

522
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,360
Speaker 1: you to Tom Bowland, I said, he's not gonna He's

523
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,119
Speaker 1: not gonna be with us very much longer. I'm just

524
00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:56,640
Speaker 1: telling me that. And he said, he said, coach, when

525
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,159
Speaker 1: can I come? And so rather than just call on

526
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:00,879
Speaker 1: the phone, he gets and the car and drives up

527
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,480
Speaker 1: there and spends a day. You know, with Tom Bull,

528
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,720
Speaker 1: that's the kind of human being you're talking about. Well,

529
00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,159
Speaker 1: that's fantastic. And the NFL is full of people like that,

530
00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:12,080
Speaker 1: and so I think it's so great that we have

531
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,280
Speaker 1: been able to highlight some of these people and show

532
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 1: them off and share our stories and conversations that we

533
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,840
Speaker 1: get to have. We're just gonna keep rolling through this

534
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,760
Speaker 1: series here, Mac. Yeah, it's a good one. Yeah, I

535
00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,920
Speaker 1: think so too. Million listeners get to hear it. Million listeners,

536
00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:31,080
Speaker 1: if you have not subscribed or done any of the

537
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 1: things for the Titans Amy and Coach Mac podcast, please

538
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,439
Speaker 1: do that share it with your friends so that we

539
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:38,080
Speaker 1: can actually have a million listeners. We do have a million,

540
00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,840
Speaker 1: you can just start second million, okay, so so that

541
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:43,760
Speaker 1: we can have our second million. Our two million listeners

542
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,040
Speaker 1: is the count we're going for now. A couple more

543
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,520
Speaker 1: to go in this series. Mac, that's fine, very exciting.

544
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 1: Love doing it all right for Titans Amy and Nas

545
00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,560
Speaker 1: Williams and Coach Mack. Thank you for listening to the

546
00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:08,400
Speaker 1: Titans Amy and Coach Mac podcasts. Many got need to

547
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:15,520
Speaker 1: need to do to be