WEBVTT - Pats from the Past, Episode 37: James Develin 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:09.320 It's time now for another episode of Patch from the 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:12.440 Past podcast Matt Smith along with Paul Perillo, and we're 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:15.760 pleased to be joined by number forty six on your scorecard, 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.599 but number one in our hearts, at least for today, right. Well, 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:21.240 and that's James Devil, who joins us all the way 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:25.360 from the Jersey Shore. James, how you doing. Nice to 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:27.760 see you guys. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, I 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:28.360 appreciate it. 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:30.720 Are you getting some of that Jim tan laundry thing. 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.600 Going, Yeah, a little bit, although there's not much tanning 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:35.320 going on right now. 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:38.279 No, it's so great here. I can't even believe it. 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:39.680 I don't remember the last time we saw. 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:43.159 It's been fog. It's been nothing but fog here for 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:45.640 like a week. But it's all good man. 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:47.919 Yeah, and I do think, Paul, I don't know if 0:00:47.920 --> 0:00:51.599 you ever catch us, but I do think periodically we 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.640 still see a little Sulli entire commercial every once in 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:56.360 a blue moon with James on it. 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:58.720 James is thrilled to hear that. 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:01.520 Please, Tom, you've got a good set of all wheel 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:03.040 tires or something at least out of that. 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:05.720 Oh yeah, yeah, mister Sullivan takes care of me. Man, 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.080 He's been a great friend. You know, we kind of 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:13.360 established a relationship while I was up there playing, and honestly, 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:15.600 I look up to him now as like like me 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.760 and my little entrepreneurial role. You know, he's got a 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:23.880 lot of knowledge and experience in this world. So we're 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:25.840 trying to just you know, keep it fun and keep 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.280 it light. And he's been a great partner thus far. 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:32.520 So you mentioned entrepreneurial James, and we ask everybody about this. 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.800 Some people are more visible guys who are broadcasting things 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.640 like that, like things like that, What is James Devlin 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:39.520 up to these days? 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:44.039 Sure? Yeah, So so upon retirement, I've retired right into 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:48.040 that you know, initial onset of COVID, so things kind 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:50.000 of slowed down a little bit. But honestly, it was 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.040 nice for me to kind of like just ease my 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:55.840 way into like you know, being a real adult and 0:01:55.880 --> 0:02:01.760 stop playing a child's game professionally. So I did a 0:02:01.760 --> 0:02:03.320 lot of soul search in a lot of like what 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.760 I wanted to do. My biggest priority these days is 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:11.160 my family. Got four kids now and my wife obviously, 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:14.160 so I'm a huge, huge family man. Try to keep 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.880 that to you know, the highest level of importance, but 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:20.560 I wanted to I knew I wanted to kind of 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:25.000 create my own legacy beyond football. I wanted to control 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:29.000 my my time and destinies here. So I decided to 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.600 go into this entrepreneurial role. I actually took an entrepreneurial 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:38.080 course through the NFLPA Trust, and that helped kind of 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.519 just connect me with with, you know, people that were 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.919 local and across the country that could kind of guide 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:46.240 me and what I wanted to do. And ended up 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:50.440 buying a business here on the Jersey Shore called Soulberry. 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:54.160 It's a little coffee smoothie, sa e bowl type place 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:57.919 two blocks off the beach. And so now I'm trying 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:02.680 to expand that that business for more towns on the 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:06.520 Jersey Shore, and then hopefully beyond that. My goal here 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:08.520 in like maybe the next five to ten years is 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.639 to have one in Patriot Place. So hopefully you can 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:12.680 get a soul Berry up there. 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:15.320 Maybe we'll have to do a sequel to the Pass 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:18.040 Pass with Jacobs. We'll keep you in the circulation here 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:22.240 for Robert and Jonathan, so we'll get that done. Obviously, James, 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.120 your story is one that's been told a lot, you know, 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:28.119 not the most common path of the NFL. But I'm 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:32.919 just curious, you know, in your time at Brown and 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:37.040 your positional moves. You know, when did you think I 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:40.040 can do this, I could be an NFL player. Was 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.360 there a time before you actually made it that you 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:44.320 really thought that you could do this? 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.560 Yeah? So I always kind of had the self belief, right, 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.040 I think that you kind of need that when you're 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.320 just embarking on this kind of quest. And like you said, 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.320 I was definitely not like a highly talted prospect coming 0:03:57.400 --> 0:04:00.240 out of college. I had to kind of scratch up 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:03.640 and claw to find an agent just to represent me, 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.680 let alone, you know, get in front of some NFL teams, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.560 and really, I would say I went so after college, 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:13.680 I went and had to try out with the Cleveland Browns. 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.479 Didn't even make it to the third day. They had 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.839 me at three four outside linebacker. I was I was 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:22.520 a mess. And then after that I played in an arena football. 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:24.919 Then I played in the UFL and that's when I 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:27.599 made the switch to fullback, and I'd say that's when 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:29.920 I really felt like, hey, I can do something here. 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:32.800 Because I was playing I was one of two, like 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:35.520 you know, true rookies on the team and all the 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:39.479 other guys I'd say ninety five percent of the roster 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:43.159 were x NFL guys. So it kind of gave me 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:47.440 like the first like barometer to measure myself against. And 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:50.800 so when I earned it started position and I was 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.919 like making some nice plays out there. That's when I 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:56.160 really felt like, hey, I can do this. I just 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:59.840 need the right opportunity. And then you know, practice squads 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.680 and stuff like that. Three years later, I was, you know, 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.440 starting for the Pats, So it all kind of that's 0:05:05.520 --> 0:05:07.839 when it really like that was my jump off point. 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:09.920 I don't know that Paul and I can sit here. 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:11.480 I know we can't sit here. 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:12.680 And what's it like to be in. 0:05:12.600 --> 0:05:15.960 An ivy League school? But did you you know, was 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:18.880 this dream something that you were dreaming of what you 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:21.680 were Brown? Did you get made fun of? Did you say, oh, please, 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:23.840 come on, you're gonna end up doing you know, be 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:25.800 a lawyer, you'll be a doctor. You know, that's why 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.000 you come to Brown. And conversely, did you also hear 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.799 it when you're in the UFL? You know, hey, ivy 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:33.680 you know, did you get stuck with a nickname or 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.159 was there any kind of stigmatism to IVY League guys 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:38.280 don't make it to the NFL, what you know, maybe 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.080 in their training staff or something like that. 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:44.279 Yeah, so I'd say, first and foremost being at Brown, 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.200 I mean there was there was definitely doubters because, like 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:50.760 you said, they're not not every day you know, guys 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:55.200 come out of the football powerhouse that is Brown University, 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.840 let alone the entire IVY League. But you know, I 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:00.720 was experienced. I had a year on the team with 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:04.200 Zach Tiassi and he was drafted to the Giants as 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:06.640 a linebacker then ended up having a thirteen year career 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.599 as a long snapper. But I knew it was possible, 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.119 and that's kind of all I needed to hear. The rest. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:15.880 It was kind of up to me, So I yeah, 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:17.800 there was doubters. Yeah, there was times when you know, 0:06:17.920 --> 0:06:20.080 guys were going out partying and I was staying back 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:22.480 because I wanted to wake up early in training, and 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:24.200 you know, they'd be like, oh, you're not making it 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:27.040 to the NFL, like just come out, and I'm like, no, 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:29.760 I got I got bigger aspirations, I got dreams I 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.080 got to like kind of take care of. So there 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:35.479 was definitely those kind of moments, But to say I 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.120 got picked on, I wouldn't say that. And then once 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:40.520 I got to the UFL. Once I got to the UFL, 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.000 everyone was kind of in the same boat. We were 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:47.160 all there with a purpose to try to get exposure 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.400 to get back in the NFL. So there was absolutely 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.440 no you know, naysayan or anything like that. Everyone kind 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:55.080 of had a story. I mean, there was kind of 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:58.920 NFL cast offs that were trying to regain their reputations 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:02.760 and nobody, nobody was higher or lower than anyone in 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.919 that in that organization. That's something that you know, always 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.680 kind of stuck with me because everyone was humbled. Everybody 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:11.720 was humbled to be there. Although it was a great 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.200 opportunity and we were getting compensated and all that stuff, Like, 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:19.120 everyone had a humbling journey to get on that roster. 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:21.600 And uh so it was a it was a great 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:25.160 learning experience experience, and that is a I don't know 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:27.280 what I was twenty one, twenty two year old kid. 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:29.680 Probably a portraits of words. Paul I should have said, 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:32.720 busted his balls maybe then that yeah, thing like that. 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.800 Yeah, yeah, I definitely definitely got my balls busted. 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:42.360 Just what was the first impression here. You know, you 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:46.160 you get in here what was probably what twenty twelve, Yes, 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:50.280 and you know you're sort of your your first interactions 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.880 with Bill Belichick, Tom Brady. I mean, obviously it's an 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.040 organization that had done a lot of winning and here 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.360 you are trying to find your way as an NFL player, 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:02.560 let alone, you know, make it into a role. What 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.160 was it first like for you your first impressions? 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:08.440 Yeah, so it was it was everything I was looking 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:14.120 for in a football team. That the the respect, the accountability, 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:18.920 you know, the kind of I could you could say strictness, 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.840 but it's it's more than that. It's kind of just 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.080 like that. That level of respect that you have for 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:28.120 your teammates, your coaches, the game itself, and your approach 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:32.400 to that game. That that is what I what stood 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:35.920 out to me because coming through the UFL and and 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:38.520 then my first year and a half with Cincinnati on 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:42.960 their practice squad, it wasn't it wasn't like that, but uh, 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:47.200 I always cherished the types of organizations where you know, 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.559 the head coach was like a guy that was almost 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:52.160 like a father type figure, and I never wanted to 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.520 like let him down. So I had that at Brown 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:59.440 coach Justice was was a like a very like brute, 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:01.360 just like you did not want to let him down. 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:03.440 You didn't want to disappoint him. And so that's what 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:05.840 I always loved about playing with it for him, and 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:07.440 then with Bill, it was the same kind of thing, 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:10.719 the respect that he had being Bill Belichick and all that. 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:13.720 I never wanted to let him down, you know. I 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:17.480 wanted to just do everything to try to be the 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:19.679 best player I could be, for him, for my teammates, 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.960 for my other coaches, the whole organization. So that level 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:26.040 of respect just really stood out to me, I mean, 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.240 and then just the humility of the guys and the 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:33.600 lack of ego, you know, coming in and seeing, holy shit, 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:35.760 this is Bill Belichick. I'm talking to her. This is 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.480 Tom Brady, the you know, the greatest. At that point, 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.480 he was already on his way to becoming the greatest 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.280 quarterback of all time, and now he is. And it's 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:47.080 just like wow, Like these guys are are you know, 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:50.240 humble enough and human enough to like just kind of 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:53.280 sit down and talk to me and you know, say 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:56.120 what's up in the in the cafeteria and just sit 0:09:56.160 --> 0:10:00.720 down and like have a regular conversation, that level of 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.520 of just humility around across the across the organization really 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:05.120 stood out. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.720 Bill often says, or the coaches and players say, James, 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:12.559 that you know, for new people, draft picks, undrafted free agents, 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.480 people like that, the best route to make the team 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.000 and to make an impact is on special teams. And 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:22.079 would you agree with that in is there a moment 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:25.520 where you can remember, you know, on teams that you 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.200 know you were able to maybe stack some things together 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:30.719 to get them to you know, notice you and say, hey, 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:32.800 this is somebody that we should that we think we 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:35.679 should consider keeping to work with. 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:40.520 Sure. Yeah, so that's exactly That's exactly how how it 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:44.520 came for me. I mean my first year on twenty twelve, 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:46.160 I was on a practice squad. They brought me up 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:49.160 for four games. I played in one game Sunday night 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:52.800 against the against San Francisco forty nine ers, and all 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.559 I did was special teams. I didn't play one offensive snap. 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.760 We lost that game. It was raining, uh raw and. 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.920 Hold I remember the yea yeah, yeah, interesting game. For 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.240 the first game, it felt, I think we fell behind 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:08.680 like thirty one to three or something like that, came 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:09.880 back and then we ended up losing. 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:13.080 Yeah, we came back and we were kind of mounting 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:15.440 the comeback a little bit, and late in the fourth 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:19.800 quarter they were punting and Wes Welker was our apartment 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.360 turn at the time, called it like the ten u 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.000 took it back for like maybe fifteen or so yards 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:27.640 and I got called for a holding against Navarro bowmen. 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:31.840 And I remember feeling like this big coming off the sideline, 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.240 like not trying to make eye contact with Scott O'Brien, 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:36.840 our special teams coordinated at the time and Bill and 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:41.000 all that, just like trying to shrink down. But you know, 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.640 like I learned a lot from that experience. And then 0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:47.160 the following year, so twenty thirteen, go through training camp, 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:50.760 I'm kind of solidifying myself on the offense. But the 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:54.240 first play of the entire season, my entire like season 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:59.960 as a real NFL starter, our opening kickoff. We were 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:03.280 in Buffalo and we ran this little thing. It's kind 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:05.240 of back when we had the wedge and I was 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.160 one of like the off men off the wedge and 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:10.480 I and I kind of trapped behind the wedge guys 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.839 and hit the L two and absolutely just demolished them. 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:19.480 And that that moment. I was like, that is like 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.520 kind of putting a stamp on who I am. I 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.040 like to be physical, and I just I was like 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:27.920 the electricity I felt in my body when I made 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:30.760 that hit and then came off on the sideline, I 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.280 mean I could have like lit up the entire stadium. 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.960 It was. It was unreal. So that that moment, and 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:38.680 then that was one of the first clips that Bill 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.760 played that following Monday, and I was like, yeah, I 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.120 think I you know, showed everybody who I was and 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:46.640 what I could do. 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:48.040 I was just going to ask you, did you get 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:49.679 an added boy for that? Where you you know, and 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.160 what's that like, you know, on the positive end of it, 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.079 because I'm sure it happens on the other end everybody, 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:57.800 But what's it like in the other when you get 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.480 that like, hey, this is what we're trying to do 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:02.120 here an awesome feeling? 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.560 Yeah, it was. It was a culmination of a lot 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:09.319 of a lot of experiences, both bad and good, on 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:12.760 on the on the journey to that point, you know, 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.720 I mean there was like some there was definitely some 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.080 bright days, but there was also some dark days. And 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:21.280 so having that type of moment where like you finally 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:24.920 just kind of like erupt on some on somebody and 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:28.480 like you're You've made it. I mean it was. It 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.360 was a wild experience and one that I'll always remember, man, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.439 And that's that that type of that type of fight 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.880 and desire for something and then finally obtaining it like 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:44.000 that continues to drive me to this day. So I'll 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:46.719 be it. Off the football field, I still I still 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:50.559 kind of associate everything to you know, how I approached 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:52.680 the game of football and now I'm trying to do 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:56.040 it in a different business. But uh yeah, it all 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:57.720 kind of it all kind of works the same. 0:13:57.880 --> 0:13:59.480 So now you're going to the sidelines and you make 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:01.800 an icon with anybody whill look back at you, right, yeah, 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:06.960 so different different. So I remember, you know, and mostly 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.480 because of Andy Andy Hart, who absolutely he was a 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:11.520 full back in high school in a college and played 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.880 and he absolutely loved the old school full back that 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:18.040 was James Devlin. So I remember a thirty one yard 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:22.120 catch in the thirteen season, you know, I mean most 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:23.880 of your work was down around the goal line. If 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:25.760 you ever got the ball in your hands, it's you know, 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:28.440 one yard touchdown runs and things like that. But do 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:30.200 you remember that thirty one yard. I think it was 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:31.920 in that season, that thirteen season. 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:34.560 Yeah, it was twenty thirteen. Yes, when they when they 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.720 realized I wasn't I wasn't any fast at all. So 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.560 but yeah, I ran a little wheel route up the 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:46.640 right sideline on Barkhevius Mingo who later becamemate and went 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:48.600 up for it with two hands, but I actually only 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:52.160 caught it with one, brought it down and then I 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:54.440 forget his first name, his last name was Ward, but 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:56.960 he was a safety tackle me bounced my head off 0:14:56.960 --> 0:15:01.000 the ground slightly, slightly, cancut still the play, but then 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.760 came back to play and my first play was was 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:06.920 a wham on their de tackle. So you know, I 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:07.520 was all right. 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.360 You know, Paul mentions, you know, Andy and fullback. But 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:15.880 it is a it's kind of a small fraternity these days, James, 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:18.080 one that I'm sure that you're proud of being a 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.880 part of. But you know, when you look around the league, 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:22.720 I don't know if you watch how much you watch 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.760 or anything like that, are you surprised? You know, I 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:29.240 guess that the the the amount or the lack of 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.720 the amount of fullbacks that are in the National Football 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:32.240 League today. 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:35.640 Yeah, so that's always kind of been the moniker, right, 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:38.280 is like the fullback is kind of getting phased out 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:42.520 and it's becoming like a dinosaur I've heard used a lot. 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:46.200 But it's funny because I feel like, you know, you 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.560 see successful teams and especially this time of year when 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:53.160 when defenses are a little beat up and the teams 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.680 that can run the ball, they really like start to 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.960 establish an identity this time of year, and most of 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:02.440 those teams have fullbacks, you know, I mean, look at 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:06.680 the forty nine ers. My guy Juice check Is is 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:08.840 one of the best. I mean, he's a Harvard guy, 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.240 so kind of got to like, you know, knock him 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:13.560 for that a little bit, but he's he's a great 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.160 fullback for them. A little bit different style, you know, 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:19.320 he like he gets he uses his body perfectly in 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:23.400 their scheme. You know, not much not so much of 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:27.840 like a downhill guy. But like there's there's fullbacks like 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.560 making a difference. I mean, Yakub Johnson in in uh 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:33.400 in Las Vegas, I mean the guy the guy has 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:35.960 having a great year. Jacobs is having a great year 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:40.240 behind him. So there's definitely examples of the fullback position 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.520 still being utilized in a in a very good way. 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.080 And so I'll always kind of like, you know, keep 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.280 an eye out for those guys and root for him 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:53.240 because I think a fullback is very useful. It's getting 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:57.440 more useful as it's getting less used, I think because 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:02.600 defenses aren't as aware of how to fit two back 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:07.240 runs as much anymore. And see, I get I get real, 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:10.960 I get real like advanced in my in my thought 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.440 process sometimes. But I feel like as the NFL kind 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.200 of continues to go down this route where maybe fullbacks 0:17:17.240 --> 0:17:21.359 aren't being used, I think it starts to change the 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.880 landscape of how defense is being played, and it might 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:28.720 end up becoming more susceptible to actually run these two 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:31.639 back runs in like the old school style, you know, 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.560 thirty five runs a game, so you could see like 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:38.520 a resurgence coming back, you know. I think I think 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.600 what Tennessee has been doing with Henry Is is kind 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:44.320 of a little example of that. And uh, and you're 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:46.880 seeing examples, you know, across the league sometimes. 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:49.840 Yeah, And just as a real quick aside, John Hannah, 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.639 you know, Hall of Fame offensive guard and you know, 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:56.960 probably second or third greatest player in this team's history. Yeah, 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:59.720 said exactly what you've said. You know, it's probably going 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.439 back ten years. But he talked about sort of the 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:06.520 influx of the spread passing games and the smaller linebackers 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:10.080 and the speed emphasis on defense. He said, it's all 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:12.840 going to come full circle. Teams, the smart teams are 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:14.760 gonna come back. They're going to load up with two 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:17.199 tight ends, fullbacks, and they're going to pound away at 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:20.679 these smaller defenses. And you look at Baltimore and you know, 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.199 Matt and I talked about this before the podcast, that 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:27.639 they kid recard is it's like a defensive tackle playing fullback. 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:31.200 Three pounds is the tackle. Yeah, he plays both ways. 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:33.360 He plays the tackle on fullback, does a great job 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:36.679 at both too. And you're exactly right. I'm sorry to 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:39.680 cut you off, but I think I think the game 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:42.280 of football is like kind of a microcosm of life. 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:44.560 And I feel like life is a little bit cicklic 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.960 Things kind of happen and then everybody reacts to that, 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:50.960 and then you realize that, all right, Well, now like 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:54.200 the next cycle is like the reaction to that reaction. 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.320 And so I think I think football is the same. 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:00.000 You know, I thinks, like you said, defense is getting 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.199 smaller defenses not really being aware of I mean, how 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:07.000 many colleges run full back right now? How many defenses 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.840 are playing you know, you know, traditional two back runs 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:13.680 in college. And then once these guys get to the NFL, 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:17.080 you know, they're not seeing much as well. So I 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.320 think there there could be a little chink in the 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:20.560 armor here down the road. 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.960 James, as you described that is, is that you think 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:26.879 a good way maybe to describe what happened with you 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.120 guys at the end of the eighteen season because you 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:34.399 lost to Miami, you lost to Pittsburgh, and you know, 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.159 I don't know if there was a hey, what is 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:38.800 it that we do well here, Let's see if we 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.240 can get back to that. And you guys went to 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:44.040 a power running game, and that power running game took 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:45.200 you all the way to the Super Bowl. 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:47.639 Yeah, you know, I think there was there was a 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:50.640 little bit of that each season. I felt like late 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:52.919 in the year it's always nice to be able to 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.400 kind of hang your hat on the run game because 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:59.800 after you know, sixteen game season at that time, now seventeen, 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:03.119 people are beat up. You know, nobody wants to you know, 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:05.600 stick their face in the fin you know, twenty thirty 0:20:05.640 --> 0:20:09.000 times a game, and so if you can kind of 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.560 like establish yourself as a as a quality running team 0:20:12.960 --> 0:20:15.560 the end at the end of the season, it always 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.080 kind of slows the game down. It's like nice and 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:23.119 methodical and it really opens up the playbook offensively. So 0:20:23.640 --> 0:20:25.280 we always kind of try to do that. But yeah, 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:29.280