WEBVTT - The Matthew Slater Episode 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.320 I think most guys have more of an impegged receiver 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:03.000 than I did. 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:11.440 Miami, Miami, Tom wind never threw for over five hundred 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:18.040 catch Remember, why do we all remember Slate's only catch 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:24.360 the tack? That was the year I had the little 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.280 you know, the little ten yard out for the touchdownd. 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:28.920 I jumped off sides on a two point converse. Yes, 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:31.560 that's right. We try to forget that way. Yeah we did, 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:34.000 and that was the last of it. But we were 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.720 all so pumped when you caught that back. I appreciate that, Fellas. 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:42.720 Welcome to Dudes on Dudes. I'm Julian Edelman, I'm Rob Gregkowski, 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:44.720 and this is the show where your favorite dudes get 0:00:44.760 --> 0:00:46.440 to talk about their favorite dudes. 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:51.920 Today, we're joined by our pal, the Captain, the man 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:55.320 on a mission on and off the field, Matthew Slater. 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.240 Phellas, appreciate you have. What are we talking about today? Wow? 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.520 What it's like to live with you, Julians. 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:03.880 The fact that you and I used to live together 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.920 is proved that we were slapping no furniture. One of 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:11.040 my favorite dudes of all time. He beat double teams 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:15.039 by just bullyant people, and he played with an edge. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:18.480 This guy's an animal, and a whole lot of special 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:19.800 teams talk. 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:22.200 You are the kicking game, You're the punk game, You're 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:24.840 You're the gunner game Simer, and then we wrap it 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:27.760 up by finding out what kind of dude Matthew Slator 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.280 is in this week's Chellist Dude of the Week, presented. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.000 By Course Like Gotta stick around him again. 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:40.039 Dudes on Dudes is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:44.280 Jewish Worries Chicken. Little Sky is falling at all times, 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:50.720 happily miserable with me and loves God, knows everything will 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:55.360 be right because of his faith, and and Rob's just 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:57.920 a golden retriever. He just he's just. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.920 Happy to happy, happy to be there, even if it's 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:04.400 going terrible or if it's going great. 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:09.480 Default setting is optimism. He's gonna always be optimistic even. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.000 If it's going terrible. Well, tomorrow can only get better. 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.400 You know, you gotta always have a down practice every 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.200 once in a while to understand what's what's going on. 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:18.959 You got to have a down episode every once in 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:22.600 a while to thee yeah, make it really does. You 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:24.560 can't have the greatest day all the time, you know, 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:28.200 can't You can't. But it makes every other day blossom. 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:32.119 It makes every other day better. Now we just warmed up, 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:35.040 and this is a very special episode. 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:43.320 Special special in many occasions, literally and physically and literatively. 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.800 All three the trifecta in a good way, not in 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:46.920 the way that we all think about today. We are 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:52.560 joined by our good friend, our our old teammate, and 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.919 the man that we love to call the capt The Captain, 0:02:56.720 --> 0:03:01.400 our leader. Ten time Pro bowler, five time All Pro 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:05.799 member of the Patriots, All Dynasty team leader. 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.160 Just not on the field, but off the field as well, 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:10.720 and three times Super Bowl champion. 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:13.799 And one of the greatest special teamers of all time. 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:18.960 According to Bill Belichick, the Great is the great special 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:20.480 teamer of all. 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:23.520 Time, and on top of according of Bill Palicheck, he's 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:29.840 greater than his dad as well. 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:32.720 To the show, It's great to be What is life 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:35.360 looking like these days? I'm in full dad mode right now. 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:40.320 I'm enjoying my time at home, uh in a transition 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:43.880 season alive, looking to to go back to school, actually 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:48.000 hoping to get my NBA som so, been applying to schools. 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.000 I feel like a teenager again. It's like doing these 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:52.880 essays and looking into school. 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:56.200 But I'm excited. I'm I'm enjoying this transition and looking 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:58.560 forward to the next chapter. Yeah, that sounds exciting. 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:00.760 Well, can you explain to me real quick what it's 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:04.160 like to be a dad because Jewel and your dad, Matthew, how. 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:06.320 Many kids do you have? Now? I have four? So 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:07.400 what's that like? 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:09.480 Because my brothers all have kids too, it looks like 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:11.240 the best feeling can you explain to me, because I 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.240 might have to get into it right way. 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:15.840 Is there's no joy like they're. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.400 All the dads around here, they're all happy dads. 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.640 Well, there's no feeling like it. I mean, the joy 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:29.120 you get when you're with your children. Uh, it's just undescribable. 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.920 And you know, I have four kids, so it's chaos 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.520 at all times, especially with three sons. But uh, you 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.440 know you talk about how parents are meant to instruct 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.280 and teach their kids. I learn more from my kids 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:45.320 every day by just watching them and observing them and 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.560 watching them grow up. Then they could probably ever learn 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:50.520 from me. So it's it's been a blessing to be 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:50.880 a dad. 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:53.520 Man, Like, what do you learn? What is one thing 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:55.400 that you remember you learn from your kids? This is 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:57.200 really good man. 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.680 You know what, honesty and transparency. You know what, if 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:02.760 I ever try to, if I ever try to just 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.000 you know, skirt the line of truth, my. 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:08.239 Kids will call me out quick. 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:11.240 Yeah, well you didn't say that yesterday or or Mommy 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:11.720 said this. 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:14.279 So they hold you. They hold your feet to the 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:17.719 fire every day. So you're teaching him accountability. You're in 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:21.360 full daddy daycare. So from the looks of it, it's 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:23.680 going pretty good. Even though you were a little late 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.880 to this because you're three year old. Lost your keys, 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:34.200 so we know how. We know how, especially with that 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:39.120 three year old. That's awesome. Now let's jump into football. 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:42.320 What's your first memory of New England? 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:46.200 Wow, you know, I think I go back to two 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:48.560 thousand and eight when I got drafted by the team, 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:52.320 the first phone call I got from Coach Belichick, and 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.200 the way my college career had gone. I played a 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:57.559 little bit offense, a little bit of defense, but mostly 0:05:57.600 --> 0:05:58.520 played in the kicking game. 0:05:59.120 --> 0:05:59.880 And I'll never forget. 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:02.479 He calls me and he's like, look, when you talk 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:05.480 to the media, you know, let's let's not talk about 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:06.400 what position. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.240 You're gonna play. I'm bringing you here to help us 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:12.040 in the kicking game and we'll figure out where you're 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:12.559 gonna play. 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:17.320 So I always reference that conversation with him because he said, 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:20.640 the expectation for me, Uh, it was very clear what 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:22.800 my role was gonna be, what was expected of me 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.440 when I got here. And you know, it was a 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.120 unique time to come to the team. They were undefeated 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:31.200 in two thousand and seven, so you know, sit in 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:34.320 that first team meeting, Bill was like, look. 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:36.280 We just went undefeated last year. We don't need any 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:39.039 of you guys. So it was homeland it. 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:41.840 You know, you're just like, all right, I gotta come 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:43.640 in the here, i gotta work and put my head down, 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.320 and I'm gonna have to earn everything that comes my way. 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:53.839 So what's it like to like see coach Balichik's expectations 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.640 but also deliver exactly. 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:57.800 What he told you you were gonna be. 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:00.560 Like literally, he said, we need you in the kicking game, 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:02.120 and you came through like no other. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:03.360 You are the kicking game. 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:06.200 You are the kicking game, You're the punt game, you're 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.159 the gunner game, you're everything with the special teams. And 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.320 he told you that from the beginning, and you took 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:14.400 it to a whole another level. What's it like to 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.480 deliver for someone that drafted you and promised you that 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:20.600 you were going to, you know, be in that role 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:22.120 and just exceed it. 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:23.240 You know, it meant a lot wrong. 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:28.160 I mean, I think some people criticized the pick when 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:30.040 they drafted me in the fifth round because it's like 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.600 you're drafting a special teams player this high, and you know, 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:35.840 there were a lot of questions about whether or not 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.920 my dad had connections in New England and that's how 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:40.840 I ended up here, which was not the case at all. 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:45.960 So I definitely wanted to show people that coach made 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:48.000 the right decision and placing his faith in me. It 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:50.560 meant a lot to me to be able to play 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:54.120 for him for sixteen years and hopefully do a good job. 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:56.600 I assume I did a good job because he kept 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.440 me around all that time, but yeah, it certainly meant 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:01.600 a lot. I think, you know, we grew up in 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:04.680 an era where you wanted to please your coach, like 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.120 it meant everything as a football player to go out 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:09.680 there and get that a boy or a good job 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.360 from your coach. And uh, you know, I really appreciate 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.160 Bill for giving me the opportunity that he did. 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:16.800 Here's a deep question that you just brought up because 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:20.360 you said you stuck around for sixteen seasons. You know, 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:25.080 Julian in free agency, you almost laughed at one time myself, 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.559 I got traded and I told coach, now, no, coach, 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:31.000 I'm retiring. Like and was there ever a time in 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:33.960 your career were you and coach were kind of buddy hads? 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.000 You were a free agent and you almost laughed, but 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:38.760 you knew your heart was here just like Julie, and 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:41.320 I knew our heart was here as well. Here in 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:45.040 New England was a special fellow. So was there a guy. 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:51.199 He traded me? Coach? 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:54.319 I'm a patriot, man, I'm going down as a Patriot 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:54.520 this year. 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:56.600 You're not. You're not sending me to Detroit. 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:01.200 You almost went to the Giants, go to Giants. 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:02.160 I remember the. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:05.240 Detroit and I think for me, I think we all 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:06.960 have at least one moment in time. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.040 Happens every single player at one point. 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:12.360 No question especial. It's just part of the business, right, 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:13.320 So I think for me. 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.400 You know, in twenty seventeen, I got hurt in training 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.640 camp and I missed some time over the course of 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:20.199 the year. My contract was up at the end of 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:24.600 the year, and you know, the negotiations. 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:26.439 Weren't going great. What year is this, This is going 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.719 going into twenty eighteen, I know, but what year is 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:33.360 it in your career? So this is year eleven? No rest, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:36.920 you think you've done your. 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:40.120 Best for the team, and so, you know, I told 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:43.040 my agent at that point, once I saw how negotiations 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:44.920 were going, I said, Hey, we're gonna have to look 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.760 to get out of here. And I went down to Pittsburgh, 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:52.600 took a visit there. We talked about games and really 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:56.160 enjoyed Pittsburgh, really enjoyed my time there. And when I 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:58.960 was in the airport on the way back, I got 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:01.560 a call from Bill Happens the same way and he's like, 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:04.240 what's going on. I thought we were good. I thought 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.680 we were on the same page. I was like, well, coach, 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:07.920 were not on the same page. 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:10.080 And thankfully we were able to work. 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:13.000 Through it, and you know, ended up coming back, obviously 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.480 and finishing my career there, and that next year we 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:16.319 won the Super Bowl. 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.480 So I'm glad I didn't leave. 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.480 But you know, it's a reminder that this game is 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.199 a business, and we've all experienced the business side of it, 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.160 and you know, I didn't take it personally at all, 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:29.560 but I also understood that I had the responsibility of 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.760 my family and myself to do what was best for us. 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:36.440 Well, that was twenty seventeen going into the year twenty eighteen. 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.960 That was the same exact year that I was traded 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:41.720 going into twenty eighteen season. And then I came back 0:10:41.760 --> 0:10:43.920 for one more year in New England and we won 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:47.880 the Super Bowl. Thank you Slater for saying thank you 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.160 to myself for staying. Thank you for staying you know 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.200 the years before that as well. If we didn't stick together, 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.559 we would have never won that last super Bowl. 0:10:57.000 --> 0:11:00.840 Yeah, we talk about this business side, you know, that's 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:04.240 that's all the scary stuff. The fun stuff that kept 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:06.720 us all in the locker room was the team stuff. 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:09.920 Let's jump into that. Who was the funniest guy in 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:10.640 the locker room? 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:13.560 Oh my gosh, I mean there were there were so 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:16.280 many guys of great personalities over the years. 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:18.480 The two of you being right up near the top. 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:21.600 But I think the guy that we laughed the most, 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:27.520 probably at more than than with was Nico. We had 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.600 a lot of good laughs guy, but he was like 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.480 our little brother, like the team's official little brother. 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.040 We all love Rob, but I think about Rob, I 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:38.040 think about Gerard. 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.920 He was a lot of fun. And then the mccordy's 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:41.320 were great. 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:50.040 That's that New York always coming to right. 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:52.200 But it was I mean, man, we had so many 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:54.600 great guys on that team over those years. 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.240 It was it was a lot of fun. You know. 0:11:56.320 --> 0:12:04.679 One of my favorite was the suburban poet Rusty Benson. Benson, 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:07.160 he was hilarious. Oh my god, I always I have 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:11.839 to give Ornberger his flowers. Yeah, Ornberger is yes on 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.280 that lightest guy. And then we can't forget about Light 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:21.600 the God and this guy got into digital videos back 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:25.720 before there was even digital video stuff, making funny videos 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.959 to give to the team. Remember when he Mary Carey thing. 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.920 I mean, it was unbelievable, you know Light. I mean, 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.640 we've all heard the stories about Light as a prankster. 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.640 He had Mike Woystak, our old string coach, not talking 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.360 to me for two or three months because I helped 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.600 him with a prank. One time he stole Haryl Nash's 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:47.920 car and then I vouched that there was somebody in 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.720 the parking lot that I saw taking it, so he 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:51.920 will loop me into that. 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:52.679 And then Rich. 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.480 I mean the fact that Rich was on IR and 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:59.920 Bill brought him down to the Super Bowl and Indian 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:03.680 just to entertain the team, and I think we all 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:05.840 got a taste of that when he was on games. 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.640 He's the best storyteller I've ever been around. He's just 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.720 he's just so funny. You can't be around Rich without laughing. 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:15.160 That is one thing about Coach Belichick as well, is 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:17.280 that even if player was on IR, but he was 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.199 a great locker room guy, or he was like a 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:22.440 bubble guy. Coach Belichick always knew to keep that one 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:25.120 or two guys around in the locker room that gelled 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.120 the whole entire team. And rich Unberger being one of 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.559 those guys making it anyone laugh at any time, no 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:33.920 matter what he's doing, if he's just showering, if he's 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.280 getting ready for practice, if he's in the training room 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:39.559 getting taped up. Just the way he talks is just hilarious. 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:41.560 But Coach Blicher, you got to give him credit in 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:44.960 that category for just having that guy in the locker room. 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:51.400 He had keepers and team geled together. Another one Nvidi's classic, 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:53.040 Oh we had some characters. 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.960 Man, we really did, which you know goes into another question. 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:59.679 Who were the slappies of the locker room? We had 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.599 a lot of slappies. I mean a lot of slappies, 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.400 and put we were I'll put in our category we 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.720 were slappies. Me and Slay. You were never a slap 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:13.760 one point, man, one point that sounds a rookie. 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:21.120 Year was my first half rookie. Yeah, camp, yeah, an hour. 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.280 I want to be a slappy. I know you wanted 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:29.760 to live together. It's proved that we were slapping. No furniture. 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.240 This is before j eleven. This is just Jules, This 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:34.360 is not Hall of Fame. 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:42.280 But yeah, that's when we really that's when we really 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:46.520 loved this guy. And it wasn't JA eleven Start Changing 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.040 didn't have a podcast. 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:52.880 Like Changing Up. You know that j E eleven came 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:58.240 about making fun of Tom, did it? I started it 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:02.200 by making a j Remember Tom used to he did well. 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.360 I one day just made a j E eleven just 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:11.360 to make fun of him and then started selling it, 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:12.840 and I mean tops out of the game. 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:14.880 He was one of the first ones to kind of like, 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:19.000 you know, make a brand, and who doesn't have that now? 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:21.240 Any top player in the NFL has a brand. So 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:23.520 if you really look at it, Tom kind of created that, 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:25.760 you know what, the twelve symbol. 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:27.920 So he was a genius. He's always out of the 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:29.920 game and years ahead. 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:31.560 Hey, great job making fun of him. 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:36.160 Turn it into a business. All right? Uh? 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.680 Who was the guy say that you know took you 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.320 under your wing? I mean with the coaching staff. Of course, 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:44.880 Scottie O'Brien taught you a lot, But who was that 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.320 player that took you under the wing and taught you 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.160 what to do out there on the field. 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:50.120 And the special teams? 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.880 Well, yeah, I mean I was really fortunate to come 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:55.720 to the team at a very special time where that 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:59.080 kind of that old guard was still around and those 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:01.680 guys were so much experience, championship experience. 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:04.240 So just being able to follow around Larry is, oh 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:06.880 my rookie year was huge, huge. 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:09.400 I mean Larry was like the godfather of special teams 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:12.080 in New England, had had so much success, had a 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:15.920 tremendous career. So I watched him. I followed him around 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.560 like a puppy dog. Just all right, Larry's in the 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.960 cold tub. I'm in the cold tub. Larry's watching film 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.560 I gotta go watch film and he was a great mentor. 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:25.240 Another guy. 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:28.840 You're not a special teamer, but Benjamin Watson was someone 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:31.720 who really showed me how to be a man, showed me. 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:33.800 How to be a pole. He just one of the 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:35.040 best men I've ever known. 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:38.680 And then a blast from the past, Sam Aikin, Sam Aikin, 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:40.479 Sam Aikin, shout. 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.520 Out Samy Aikin. He had the sickest card to me 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:45.240 and that thing hug my back, take me to Providence. 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:47.440 He was a you know, he was a special Teams 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:50.800 captain after Larry, and Sam was great about just making 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.080 me feel like, you know, hey, you belong here, like 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:53.840 you're one of us. 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:56.120 You know, showed me how to be a pro. So 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.520 tremendous mentors early on in my career. Sam was the 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:02.000 same way for me as well. He was just a 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:04.480 good dude and he was a ball like. He was 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:07.000 a strong receiver. He was he was twenty. 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:08.320 He was one of the bigger guys. 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.600 He was big, bigger. Yeah, all right, before we jump 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:15.800 in to the dude that you picked, we gotta have 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:19.800 one is what's the one gronk story that sticks out, 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:22.520 one gronk story that no like just a Gronk. 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:27.280 Hey, you can even go back to your college day. 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:30.560 Oh oh yeah, we battled. Oh I remember, was a coordinator. 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:36.080 I like this, Wayne. That's why, Dwayne Walker, we're getting. 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.840 Ready to play these guys. What you were forty nine 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:39.400 in college? 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:43.399 Forty eight my high school number forty eight. 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:47.440 You know this guy, Dwayne Walker. Butcher, Butcher my man's name. 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:51.399 They got this Grodakowski out there, like, we got an 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:53.200 account for this guy. I like that. 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:57.520 I mean, and Gronk was obviously dominated in college. 0:17:57.640 --> 0:17:59.760 Eighteen years old, I was facing him. He was a 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:00.400 man child. 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:04.480 But I mean, look, I think one of the stories, 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:06.359 and I don't know if I've ever told you this, Rob. 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:10.440 So the weekend that Rob got drafted, I was down 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:14.920 in New York with Kevin O'Connell and Ryan Wendell. And 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.240 Kevin was with us my rookie year, ended up at 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:21.800 the Jets. So we were visiting him and we're walking 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.800 the streets of New York and we see Gronk. Now, obviously, 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:27.440 you know, we don't know what's gonna happen. 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:29.800 I was already drafted. No, you weren't drafted yet. 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.800 Who I was? We weren't drafted yet, and we were like, oh, yeah, 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:35.520 that's that tight end from Arizona. 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:38.160 I think he's supposed to be pretty good. 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:42.280 Yeah, you know, fast forward, we drafted him and he 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:43.800 turned out to be pretty dull. 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:47.200 So what was I doing on the streets? What was 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:52.800 I just having a good time and enjoying life? But uh, yeah, man, 0:18:52.880 --> 0:18:55.040 that was that was a pretty full circle moment. All right, 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:55.800 that's really cool. 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.080 And before we get started as well, I got to 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:00.879 obviously ask you a question about Jewels. Then what was 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:04.000 he like as a roommate and how many years were 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:05.240 you guys roommates as well? 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:07.440 I think it's been documented a million times. 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:10.399 I mean, I know it's probably around years for years, 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:13.840 and I'll say this about you know, because we've laughed 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:17.520 a lot about us being roommates and and h oh, 0:19:18.440 --> 0:19:22.080 but honestly, like, I think it's a great example of 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:25.520 two guys being able to find common ground. Like Jules 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:29.280 and I are different people, different interests, but our relationship 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.320 has always been built on respect and you know, respecting 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:35.960 the other guy, and really, you know, our friendship goes 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:38.679 back to that. So I know, for me, if we 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:41.359 don't spend those four years together, my career probably doesn't 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.000 go the way that it went. And I tried to, 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.080 you know, be a positive influence on him as well 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:49.080 in that Holy Water on. 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:52.720 Yeah, and before we get started, another question just popped 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:57.040 to my mind. Do you like this humble Jewels more 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:00.760 and now that he's retired giving credit to everyone? Or 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:03.359 do you like that Jeweles that always had a chip 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:06.000 on his shoulder every time he stopped in the locker room, 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.440 just attacking whoever. He kind of attack, going after whoever 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.520 he go after? Yeah, kind of time. Who do you 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:15.199