WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Nick Rallis 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:06.600 Hey everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Dave 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:10.200 Pash Podcast. I'm your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals broadcaster 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:13.480 Dave Pash. Our guest this week is first year Arizona 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:17.960 Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rawlis. Nick is the youngest coordinator 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:20.880 in the NFL. He just turned thirty years of age 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.240 a month ago, and we'll talk with him about how 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:26.040 he got into coaching, to begin with his experience with 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:29.600 the Minnesota Vikings and then the Philadelphia Eagles working with 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:33.240 Jonathan Gannon and Nick Siriani. We'll also talk with coach 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:36.320 Rowlis about some of the current players he's mentoring, including 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:38.720 Zaban Collins, and the growth that Rowlis is seeing in 0:00:38.760 --> 0:00:40.000 Collins so far in camp. 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:41.880 What I love that I've seen from him when he's 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.239 on the edge is I think you can kind of 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:47.479 let it loose a little bit more when you're playing 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:51.080 with a little bit less vision on everything. Your vision 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:54.279 shrinks a little bit on the edge and you can 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:57.440 let your physical tools completely take over. And I'm seeing 0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.920 him just use those tools and go make plays on 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:00.640 the edge. 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:04.720 We'll also talk with Nick about his famous brother Mike Rawlis, 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:08.400 who goes by Ridick Moss as a professional wrestler, and 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:11.000 the two had some battles growing up that we'll get 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.720 into as well. We are presented by BETMGM, the official 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:16.800 sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Heila 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:20.480 River Resorts and Casino. Sign up today with BETMGM, the 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:24.160 official partner of the Arizona Cardinals. Use code cards one 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:26.640 thousand and get back up to one thousand dollars in 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:28.920 bonus bets. If you don't win your first bet, visit 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.240 betimgm dot com for terms and conditions. Twenty one years 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.480 of age, you're older to wager Arizona only. New customer offer. 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.520 Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem called one eight hundred. Next 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.120 step all right, Time for our conversation with a very 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:54.440 entertaining young coach. Nick rawllis defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. So, Coach, 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:55.960 I actually want to start with what we were just 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:59.880 talking about off the air, talking about my voice with 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.800 which this is how I talk normally, but obviously during 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.920 a game you change it like a little bit, but 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.280 I'm kind of used to it. And so I was 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:13.359 asking you when you are calling the defense, because when 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:16.160 the crowd's really loud. Like in an outdoor football game, 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:18.799 I probably have to talk a little bit louder as 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:22.200 opposed to like an indoor basketball game. Do you feel 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:24.519 like you are you talking the same all the time. 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:29.000 Well, when you're talking to the players on the sideline, 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.800 if it's loud, you have to talk a little bit louder. 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:35.280 But when you're actually sending the call in to the 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:38.280 green dot, you don't want to raise your voice just 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.519 because the crowd is loud, because you know your your 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:43.600 mouth is right up next to that mic and it's 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:45.679 going to be screaming, and that guy his microphone is 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:47.679 right in his ear. So you just want to talk 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.680 normal because otherwise it's going to sound a little distorted 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:53.720 and also kind of hurt his ear drums maybe. So 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:55.160 you got to be able to just give the call 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:56.960 flatline normal. 0:02:57.200 --> 0:02:59.679 And how did it go last weekend? First time doing 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:01.400 it in a game, it was it was good. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:04.240 You know, you're used to doing it in practice like 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:07.120 you're just you're giving the calls. It's it's normal. You know. 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.519 JAG's great advice med was make sure you hit the 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:11.359 button right. 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:15.440 That's hit the button, so it's like here, just turn it, 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:17.760 make sure the mic is on before you start talking. 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:20.720 Yeah, well, like you have to. You have to hold 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:23.760 it down and you get hear like and that means 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:25.079 it's on and you got to give the call. You 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:26.760 got to hold you got to keep it holding down 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.280 and then you know it. At fifteen seconds it goes out. 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.000 So you'll start getting like beeps like you're out. You 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.160 can't talk into it anymore, right, and. 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:38.280 So you want to make sure you don't start giving 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:40.760 the call before you hit the button, otherwise they're not 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:41.200 going to hear. 0:03:41.480 --> 0:03:41.920 Correct. 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.400 It's crazy to think that this stuff probably happens, right. 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.480 They're probably times in games when you see guys are 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:48.200 not sure if they got the call. Something like that. 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.520 Oh yeah, that happens. Our backers do a really good 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:54.080 job of they'll just stay in the huddle right there, 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:55.840 but they'll put the hand, they'll put their hand up 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.440 and they'll kind of start, hey one more time, and 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:00.120 you know, if I'm not looking at it some but 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:01.680 he is, and they're saying, hey, he needs it again, 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:05.560 and I give it to him again. But that can happen, 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:09.520 like it's it's not perfect. There's it's a microphone, and 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:12.200 maybe they maybe they were just someone was talking to 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:13.960 them and they didn't get it clear. Hey, well I 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:16.200 need one more time, coach, you know, so that happens. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:19.800 It's interesting. We had our production meeting for the TV 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:22.600 broadcast last week with JG and asked him if he's 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:25.520 gonna miss calling plays and he said, in a way yes, 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:31.520 because it's fun. But then he said, but Nick is 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:35.160 better than I am. I mean, you've been around in 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:36.960 the last couple of years. I don't think he would 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:38.960 have just said that. It wasn't you know, it was 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:40.600 on the record, but it wasn't on the air when 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.560 he said it, he didn't have to say that. I mean, 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.560 that's quite a compliment. 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:47.960 Yeah, JG's I think he would. I think he feels 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:51.680 that from our entire staff is just is very good 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.200 at doing what they're supposed to do. Everyone's very good 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:57.560 at their job. And he expresses that to us, which 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:01.440 is which is huge. You know, he's a very complimentary 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.440 person when he really believes it. It's genuine and so 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:07.000 just you know, for you to say that, I don't know, 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:10.040 he said that, it's a great compliment. I think he'd 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:12.120 say really good things about a lot of people on 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:12.600 the staff. 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.159 So you're thirty years old, and you just turned thirty. 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.360 You're the youngest coordinator in the NFL. You got hired 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.280 in the spring or the winner, whatever that was exactly, 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.039 and your birthday was in July it was, so you 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:29.240 just turned thirty. So you got hired of the same 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.640 age that I did. I was twenty nine. I've been 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:34.120 here twenty two years. So as you look at my hair, 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:36.680 which no longer exists, this is what you have to 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:38.080 look forward to. 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:41.240 I don't know about that. We'll see, we'll see, give 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:42.279 me time, we'll see. 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.160 But at age twenty nine. And it was interesting because 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.280 I remember when you got hired, there were a lot 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:52.159 of reports from respected NFL people saying, hey, if the 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:56.040 Cardinals didn't make this move, somebody else was going to 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.640 take them. Like you were very well thought of around 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:03.160 the lead. This wasn't just a JG thing. When did 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:05.359 you first of all, decide that this is what you 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.880 wanted to do because you just got done playing, like 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:08.760 seven years ago. 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:13.400 I didn't decide until I was done playing. You know, 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:16.000 when I was playing, obviously my goals were to make 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:19.279 it to the NFL, and you know, I, you know, 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:21.679 I probably kind of towards the end of my college career, 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:23.719 probably saw that that wasn't going to happen. But you 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:25.800 don't tell yourself that as a player. You just keep 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:30.279 pushing and you start to think about other possibilities that 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.400 you might want to do. But I didn't ultimately make 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:37.400 that decision until I was completely done playing. And you know, 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.000 once I made that decision, I was either going to 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.800 do get into coaching or I knew I wanted to 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:47.239 maybe get into the strength and conditioning, physical preparation realm, 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:50.640 whether that was with a with a club, a team, 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:55.320 or just a business on my own. And honestly, the 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:58.000 guy who convinced me to get into coaching was our 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.839 director of performance, Shaye Thompson. Yeah, he said. He told me, 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:06.679 Like what I loved about the thought of being around 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:10.480 the athlete is I appreciate the preparation process. I appreciate 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:12.920 it as a player. It was something that I went 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:16.280 to school for and obviously, like when you're in school 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:19.360 when you're playing, you're getting your PhD in football as well. 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:23.000 But you know, I got my graduate degree in sporting 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:26.240 X ray science, and I didn't know which route I 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.640 wanted to take it and He told me, if you 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:30.960 really want to have the greatest influence on the player, 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:35.360 go be a coach because ultimately, if you can get 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:39.440 into a position of you know, decision making, you'll be 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:42.280 able to get the most out of those guys. 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:45.080 So you and I want to talk about your playing career. 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:49.120 So in twenty seventeen, you go to Wake Forest. I 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:53.800 think one of the most underrated coaches in college football 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:54.680 is Dave Clawson. 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:56.320 They do a great job there. 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.920 So tell me why Wake Forest after playing at Minnesota 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.360 and what about that experience? It was just one year 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:06.080 right that you were there. What how did that boost 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:08.400 you and help you get to then the NFL, which 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:09.119 was the next step. 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:11.880 So the reason that I went to Wake Force was 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:14.840 my defensive coordinator when I was playing at the Universe 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:19.280 of Minnesota, went there. He was in Minnesota twenty sixteen, 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:21.360 my last year, and then he became the defensive coordinator 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:23.680 at Wake Force in twenty seventeen. So that was kind 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:27.560 of my avenue in and I'm jsovel. I'm really appreciative 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:30.040 he brought me into this coaching world. You know, it's 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:32.280 not easy to get those jobs when you're just getting out. 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.720 You got no nothing to show for right, I don't 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:39.560 know how to work XOS, the visio, all the tools 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.240 that you need to know as a quality control coach. 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:44.920 And so there was a learning curve there. So what 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.640 being there did was it kind of broke me in, right. 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:49.959 You got to find an avenue to get in and 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:55.400 start learning the operation of things, how to use the technology, 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:57.480 what it's like to be on the other end of things. 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:00.800 You know, you're in the locker room. That's completely different, dynamic, right, 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:04.960 And so going to Wake Forest was a great experience. 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:08.679 I was a volunteer at quality Control and the people 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:10.760 in that building, whether it was you know, the head coach, 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:14.360 he coordinated position coaches, the graduate assistance, they did a 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:19.400 good great job with me, helping me, helping me out right. 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.400 It wasn't a thing where it's like, hey, come sink 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.679 or swim. They let me slowly kind of figure out 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:27.640 how to do things. And then as I got better, 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:31.439 more responsibility. And that was you know, that was a 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:35.040 critical year for me because it got me in and 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:36.960 it showed me that I wanted to coach. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:39.320 And then you go to the NFL the next year. 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:43.720 I understand its quality control coach, but still to be 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:47.280 able to get that job after one season of college football, 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:50.880 you're with the Vikings. How did that come about? Who 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.080 approached you? Was it? Did you hear about it and 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:54.160 you had a contact? 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:59.680 Luck? Well, oh yes, But so here's what happened at 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:03.760 my pro day. Okay, so I wasn't actually doing anything. 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.040 I was. I think I was like probably in like 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:08.840 a sling or something. He into I just got shoulder 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:13.920 surgery and I showed up just to introduce myself to 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:17.240 the Viking staff because the Viking staff was actually running 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:21.480 the pro day. And the main contact I had who 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.600 ended up being a huge, a critical person in my career. 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.640 That was another person that really helped me out and 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:31.840 helped shape my philosophies on defense with Jeff Howard, who's 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:36.240 the linebacker coach now with the Chargers. And you know, 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:39.440 so I made that introduction. We were in contact, we 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:41.920 would kind of bounce some thoughts off of each other. 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:46.160 And it wasn't actually until that summer going into the 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:49.520 twenty eighteen season, I was still at Wake Forest. I 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.480 wasn't with the Vikings yet, and you know, we were 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.480 on break. I was back in Minnesota because that's my 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:58.160 hometown and I was like, Hey, would you want to, 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:00.160 you know, meet up for coffee and he's like, hey, buddy, 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:03.680 like you're not my friend, like let's get together and 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.360 talk ball. I was like great, Like what do you 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:08.680 want to talk about? And he, you know, he was like, well, 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.120 you know, they had just lost to the Eagles in 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:14.000 the NFC Championship game and what was kind of big 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:17.040 with the Eagles was their RPO game. And I'm at 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:21.120 wake Forest, whose RPOs are phenomenal, and he was like 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.000 teaching me about RPOs and what you guys do for 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:26.679 those defenses or what you do for those offenses defensively, 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.920 and so I gave him in a coffee shop somewhere 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:33.959 in Minneapolis. I had a full presentation for him on 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:38.040 higher s, how we defend second little RPOs, third level RPOs, 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:43.080 all this stuff. And it was like great conversation, great finish. 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:45.520 And he's like, hey, by the way, you know, there's 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:49.080 a quality control job that's open and I'd like to 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:54.119 throw your name into the hat. Phenomenal sweet, Yeah, absolutely 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:57.480 for it. And so I ended up going to interview 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:00.520 really like right at the started training camp, ended up 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.440 getting the job. So I didn't get hired till in 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.160 the July August, and so I was that first year 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:09.240 in Minnesota. I was like, who you know? Swimming a 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:12.960 little bit or not swimming, but getting caught up fast. 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:16.200 Sure, because I talked to Rick Spielman. He took total 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.880 credit for hiring you. No, I'm kidding, but Rick, who 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:22.480 is obviously the longtime GM there. And you got to 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.360 know JG in Minnesota? Did you know him prior to that? 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:30.280 So I did not actually work with JG in Minnesota. 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:31.480 So he had already left. 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:35.360 He had already left. So when JG actually left, that's 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.520 what opened up a spot for me. Gotcha okay, And 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:41.440 through Jeff Howard, who helped get me in the door 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:45.840 at Minnesota, introduced me to JG. A couple of years 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:50.200 of talking ball talking at the combine sparked a relationship 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:53.400 and got me connected with JG. 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.439 So you go to Philadelphia, you're there twenty twenty one 0:12:56.440 --> 0:13:00.440 and twenty twenty two. What was the experience it's like 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:04.480 there and in particular playing in a super Bowl. 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:12.440 Every every stop, you know, you learn a lot. I 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:16.520 just like when you talk about your experience, my experience 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.559 in Philly, what comes to my mind is like growth 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.920 I learned a lot from Nick Sirianni and other people 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.640 in that building, Harrie Roseman, Jonathan obviously being at his side, 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:32.599 other coaches on both sides of the ball, and Sirianni. 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:38.280 He demands detail, and not just the detail of defense, 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:42.360 the detailed situational ball, the details of ball security, taking 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:49.080 the ball away, tackling offensive football like it was a 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:54.880 pH d in ball and like I can't, I can 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:58.800 honestly say without going there, I would not be the 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:03.959 coach that I am today. And you know, talk about 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:07.800 being in the super Bowl, it's like, it's the players 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:10.920 we had. We had great players. We had guys that 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:14.560 weren't just great on the field, but their leaders. There 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:19.480 are locker room guys. They cared about the game. The 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:22.720 game is all about the players, and the coaching job 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:26.000 is that serve the players. And in Philly, you got 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.560 lucky to be around some really, really great guys both 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.040 sides of the football, right, not just the guys I 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:34.440 coached in the linebacker room, which were phenomenal players as well. 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:39.200 And you know that that helps lead to success. 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.520 It's interesting because I know JG's coaching career started because 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.680 of injury when he was at Louisville. You obviously dealt 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.160 with injuries at Minnesota. It's interesting when you look back, 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:50.200 and I feel like a lot of guys their coaching 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:57.640 careers start prematurely because they can't play anymore. And when 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:01.720 you look back at your career at Minnesota as a player, like, 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:05.200 do the injuries help you mature? Do they cause you 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:07.840 to become an adult a little bit quicker because the 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:12.000 dream of maybe playing in the NFL was harder to 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.840 reach because you had had to battle the injuries. Does 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:15.360 it make sense? 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:17.440 I think I have a little bit more of a 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.800 realistic mindset than JG. As far as I think he 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:22.680 thinks he'd still be playing in the NFL if he 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:24.600 didn't hurt his hip. I think I have a real 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:28.560 realistic expectation of myself that I'm looking back. I probably 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:29.840 wasn't an NFL talent. 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:33.440 So, but you were a good player when you were healthier, 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:35.640 good because I remember I did a ton of your games. 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:38.440 We were there a lot, so like the two coldest 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:41.920 games I had ever called were against Wisconsin. Yes, there 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.360 was one where Gary Anderson was the head coach at Wisconsin, 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.160 and I swear he had no hat on and our 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.200 sideline reporter in the postgame interview, like if he would 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:53.600 have reached up and he could have like if you'd 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:56.280 grab his ear, it would have it would have broken 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:56.800 a piece off. 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:59.800 There were some cold games because you'd play Wisconsin usually 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:01.720 that last game of the year, and it was yeah, 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:04.480 up in Minnesota, you'd you'd be walking out of the 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.520 locker room, you turn out of that tunnel, and now 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:10.000 the wins hitting you, and you're like, oh gosh, that's 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.400 that's the kind of game it is. But yeah, there 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:14.960 are some cold games. I don't you know, I don't 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:18.920 think the injuries really necessarily changed the course of my career. 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.560 I think, you know, I ended up I ended up 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:25.320 playing probably the most my last year, right, so I 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.720 was able to come back from those injuries. But I 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:32.400 think the injuries did teach me the importance of psychological 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:38.160 preparation for the game, because when when players go through injuries, 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.400 it's that's it's it's hard physically, but it's it's very 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:48.080 hard mentally, and it teaches you as certain resilience and 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.080 you gotta you gotta you're you're in a dark spot 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:53.560 sometimes when you're hurt, and I see players on the 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.720 league when they're hurt. You know. That's why I'm very 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:00.640 cognizant to constantly be checking up with them because they're 0:17:00.680 --> 0:17:04.080 going through it mentally and you got well, you gotta 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:07.000 just constantly your mind, IM hey man, every day, do 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:09.359 everything that you can and get better. And then you 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:11.480 go to bed and you you rest knowing that you 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:13.160 did everything you could. I know it hurts that you're 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:15.840 not out here right now after your teammates, but keep 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:17.479 doing what you're doing. You'll be back before you know it, 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:20.080 and that that that builds some resilience. 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:22.960 You touched on the cold weather games. Did you play 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.280 in the snow game against Ohio State? 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:28.360 I had a That was when I told my ny 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.160 I did not play in that game. Looked fun, though 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:31.800 I kind of missed not playing. 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:34.080 It was fun being in the booth not on the 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:36.840 field because it was snowing like crazy. And I remember 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:38.879 doing a game in September against TCU. I think they 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.119 were like number two in the country. Were you playing 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:41.560 that year? 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.600 I had just I barely got back for the start 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:46.320 of the year. I want to say I maybe got 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:47.440 a couple of snaps in that game. 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:50.399 And you played for Jerry Kill and then you also 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.520 played for a guy that as broadcaster as we kind 0:17:53.520 --> 0:17:55.159 of had a fun nickname for him. We called him 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.480 the Undertaker because he looked a little bit like the 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:05.159 pro wrestler the Undertaker because he's a big dude, and 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:07.119 he used to wear like a hat. He had a 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:09.200 hat a practiced I think it was a cowboy hat 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:10.440 that he had on at practice. 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.720 He would wear this. I think he would wear the straw. 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.080 Hat from the sun, but it was a hat. But 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:17.200 he reminded kind of a little bit of the Undertaker. 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:19.560 I never I had never made that connection before. 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.080 Well it's a bad segue. I was trying to get 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:26.200 us to the rest because you knew it was coming. 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:28.240 If you're going to come on here, So all right, 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:32.520 your brother Mike, he keeps changing names, so he is 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:37.400 now Riddick Moss. He was mad Cap Moss, yes, but 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:39.719 Moss has always been a part of it because of 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:43.680 Randy Moss. Dang right, And you guys were diehard Randy 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:47.080 Moss fans growing absolutely, So why did he go the 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:49.000 pro wrestling route and you did not? 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:56.800 You know, I wanted to stay around the game. He 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:02.040 was actually either going to go into coaching himself, or 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:05.360 going to wrestling. He chose wrestling. I think he liked 0:19:05.440 --> 0:19:10.240 the the idea of being an athlete still right and 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:15.399 physically preparing yourself. And you know, I ended up just 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:17.800 choosing football. I felt like it was going to be 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:23.040 a better career, better fit for me. So that's I 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:24.080 guess that's how it went down. 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:26.760 And I guess you were in some way talking smack 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:29.120 about him when you got hired. And so he tweeted 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:32.600 out a video of when you were kids and the 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:34.920 movie put on you. He called the Diamond Cutter. 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:37.439 It to me, is Diamondwa's page. 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:41.199 Okay, yeah, see, like as a guy that kind of 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.200 grew up in the eighties, Like I remember the pile 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.080 driver looked like a pile driver. What's the difference. 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:53.399 The diamond cutter. Let's see DDP. He would he he 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:56.520 kind of got He would come around from the side, 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.760 get your neck kind of over his shoulder, and he 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:04.639 fell on his back and and the guy would fall 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:08.199 on his face. You're kind of asking the wrong guy. 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:11.680 I'm a football coach. What the heck, let's get your brother, 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:12.720 let's get it to you. 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:15.480 So, like I'm curious, So does he talked to you 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:18.560 about like, how he because you trained for it, but 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:21.040 there's acting obviously, it's choreographed. 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:26.240 Yeah, it's sports entertainment, right, right, you're you're like the 0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:29.440 worst thing to say is it's not real. No, it's real, 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:31.840 Like what they put their through is real. It's it 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:36.360 is scripted, right, and so the there's an aspect of 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:38.800 you have to be in great physical shape to do it, 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:40.800 but it is entertainment. 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:43.240 All right. Since you said you're a football coach, let's 0:20:43.240 --> 0:20:45.639