WEBVTT - Pats from the Past, Episode 7: Tedy Bruschi, Part I 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.800 Nat Smith joined by Brian Moory for our Pats from 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:11.119 the Past podcast, and it has brought you by who 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:14.040 but WB Mason. You're one stop shop for all your 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:17.920 business needs for faster delivery of business products. And Brian, 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.800 could there be a better Pats in the Past person 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:25.079 to speak with than Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker Teddy Bruski. Tenny, 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.680 thank you for joining us from the past. That's me 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.760 I still have. I think I'd like to say that 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:34.520 you could still come in off the edge and probably 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.040 get a quarterback pressure, but I think at your current 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.560 size you might you look more like a free safety 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:42.000 at this point time. Speed rush, ye could speed rush, 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:45.040 probably not bull rush, nothing physical, no counter moves or 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:48.839 anything like that. But yeah, the counter with the spine 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.120 speed to spin, but no power. Yeah. Let's let's remind 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:55.240 Patriots fans who really shouldn't need this reminder, but just 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.560 let's give everybody an update on what you're doing these days. 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:01.040 And so my recollection is you got bumped up a 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:03.320 little bit. You're at the Worldwide Leader down in Bristol, 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:05.720 but you're on Sunday NFL countdown this year, and I 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.800 gotta tell you it was a tremendous boost of energy 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:10.600 to have you on the show. I'm not sitting here 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:13.440 blowing smoke up your rear end things. But it was 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.600 a great addition to that show that needed it, and 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:17.200 I think you do a great job on that. So 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:19.479 tell people what you're doing. Yeah, I mean I started 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.280 out with ESPN as soon as I retired from here. 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:25.160 I mean three days later after my retirement press conference, 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.000 ESPN called and asked me to be an analyst. And 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:30.800 I mean, I said, where is it. I didn't even 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:31.920 know where they were. Do I have to take a 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:33.760 flight or anything. It's a two hour drive And I 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:36.679 said okay, And so I started out on the weekly 0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:39.520 the weekly beat, I guess you call it of NFL 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.800 Live Sports Center, you know, radio, those type of things. 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:46.160 And I was just happy there for you know, for 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.000 ten years I did it, and they had talked to 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:52.000 me about Sundays, but it was never really in my 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:55.600 plans because I valued my weekends with the kids when 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:57.560 they were when they were young, you know, so in 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:00.200 doing all the weekend sports with the kids and everything. 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:03.160 So it just worked out again where it came around, 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.160 and you know, my boss asked me about Sundays again 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:09.080 they moved on from Charles Woodson and they said they'd 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:11.240 want me to, you know, take over the seat, and 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.600 I said, sure, why not. And it's just been fun. 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.160 It was so easy with Moss. I mean I knew Randy. 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:20.160 I knew Randy, and you know, even Rex. You sort 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.280 of know of Rex, you know, and I know his 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.079 brother Rob, who was my linebacker coach for a few 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.720 years here when he was here. Um, you know, Hasselbs 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:32.040 got the BC connection, the New England connection, his father 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.880 playing here. So it was really easy for me to 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.320 sit in and feel comfortable with them, and they were 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.560 all so welcoming to me. And Sam Ponder was you know, 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:43.040 I had to get to know Sam a little bit. 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:45.440 I hadn't known her, only seen her on college game day, 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:48.000 but I had seen her on Countdown. So once that 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.960 all developed, the show really started to get better, especially 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:53.640 towards the end. And you know, the the reaction of 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:55.959 it was positive from a lot of people. And then 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.280 I think the network's happy about it. The chemistry between 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:00.520 you and Randy is unmistakable. Well, I mean you can 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.839 really tell you guys who were in the same walker 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.080 room together. I think it really shows and it helps 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:08.080 to show out tremendously. Yeah, in terms of respect with 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:10.680 Moss and I and I remember doing a Monday night 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:12.760 game here and Randy coming up to me when he 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:14.800 was still playing and you know, saying what's up on 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.600 live TV and all that stuff. So you know, really 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:21.000 always you know, respected each other, but knowing each other 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:24.320 now on even on a more of a personal basis, 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.919 you know, talking about our interests and spending a lot 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:29.520 of time together, you know how you have to sort 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:33.480 of as a crew off camera. It's just really progressed 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:35.400 and you know, hopefully, you know, it looks like the 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:38.240 same CRUI is gonna be back next year for the show, 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:41.360 so we're looking forward to that. Rex Ryan was always 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:45.520 a good rival for us here at the Patriots. What's 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:47.440 it like working with him and one of those conversations 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.520 maybe like off the air, Uh, we talk a lot 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:52.560 about a defensive football and we have a lot of 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:54.920 the same perspective on things and how we see him 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:59.480 and in our overall philosophy of football. He's a little 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:02.200 more aggress something me in terms of his personalities and 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:04.320 how he comes out, and that's what you need from Rex. 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:06.840 Though he's an emotional guy. He wears his heart on 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.160 his sleeve. You gotta love it about him. I think 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:10.880 is the minute I got on set, I was like, 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:12.760 I like this guy. You know. It's just all the 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.240 players that play for Rex, you know, they can you 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:18.080 can you can tell how they just care about them. 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.400 And so I mean my son, I have a son 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:22.880 named Rex, so he sort of had that. And it's 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.920 funny because I would send text to my son and 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.760 he and for me, he was always the only Rex 0:04:29.960 --> 0:04:32.040 that would pop up when I in the address books 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.200 of Rex, and I'd be asking them questions about Okay, 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.120 you gotta do the dishes or something like that, or 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:39.360 when you come home, and and Rex Ryan with texting 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:41.320 me saying, hey, bru, yeah, I think he just meant 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:43.640 to go to your son. So I was texting Rex 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.760 things about I was that I was asking my son too, 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:48.360 So that was that was sort of a joke. It 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:50.760 happened probably three to four times over the course of 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:52.839 the season, and I finally figured out. But now I 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.800 have two Rexes in my phone. That's funny. So Teddy, 0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.520 when you're coming out of college and you're getting prepared 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:02.640 for the draft and everything like that, I mean, tied 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:04.960 for the all time lead in sacks. Maybe Patriot fans 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:08.640 don't remember that two time All American, They might not 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:11.320 remember that. Were you surprised that you went in the 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.640 third round or did you think you know, again, I'm 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:15.960 maybe I'm harping on size a little bit. Did you think, geez, 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:19.080 because of my size, that doesn't surprise me. Maybe that 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.240 I'm going in the third round? Yeah, that's all it was. 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:23.920 Really they you know, they saw six foot one, two 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:27.680 hundred forty five pound defensive end. I mean, I knew collegiately. 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:30.479 I was one of the three best defensive players in 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:33.760 the draft. I mean, my numbers couldn't couldn't really argue 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:35.920 with anyone else. I had the fifty two sack mark 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:38.440 and tied Derrek Thomas like you're saying, And it was 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.440 something I was extremely proud of. But you gotta project 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:43.240 where you're gonna go, you know, And a lot of 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:49.480 a lot of teams. The Lions wanted me to play 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.760 defensive tackle, and the coach told me he was going 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:54.200 to make me the next John Randall, you know. And 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.680 then there was Polly and when he was with the 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.880 Panthers wanted me to come in and play outside linebacker 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.720 Greg Lloyd and Kevin Green and then the Patriots. Actually, 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:05.800 you know, want of you had more visions of me 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.560 added off the ball linebacker. But I started on the 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.039 ball playing Sam and then went off the ball to 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:14.360 play Mike and Will and everybody just sort of had 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:16.200 an idea of what I was going to be. And 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.120 when you have that sort of idea and you're not 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.880 sure that doesn't equal first round pick. You know, I 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.520 understood that, and uh, you know I accepted that. But 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:26.440 you know, coming in I got drafted by the Patriots, 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:28.600 and luckily they moved up to get me in front 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:32.320 of the Carolina Panthers and things worked out well. Teddy, 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.400 how difficult is it for a guy to go playing 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.760 with his hand down the ground to playing off the ball. Well, 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:40.840 it took me three years to get to get used 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:44.800 to it, Brian, because that says something. It's a different world, right, 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:48.120 is it like learning? Almost? Yea worse than that. Well, 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.680 I mean, when you're down and you have your hand 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:52.840 in the dirt, there's a certain vision that you have 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.400 of what you see. And all I really had to 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:58.359 see was the tight end that was in front of me, 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:01.600 or the offensive tackles hip, you know. In college, that's 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.000 all I had to do. It was very simple for me. 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.360 But now I'm up and back and now my vision 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:09.720 is so wide now and I'm seeing things that I 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:13.040 have to decipher that I had. What does that mean? 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:17.080 You know, my very first meeting with Dante Scarnekia, who 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.040 was an assistant linebacker coach at the time and now 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:21.600 grow they said, okay, here we go. I'm the only 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.280 one in the room and they're trying to explain cover 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:27.720 two to me, and they say, okay, when you recognize 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:29.440 past dropped to the hook and I raised my hand, 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.160 I say, where's that. I had never taken a drop 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.960 in my life. I mean, I remember the Cincinnati Bengals 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:36.840 coming to work me out and put me in some 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:39.200 drops and all this stuff, and I fell down, actually 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:41.920 dropping backwards, and I said, yeah, they're not going to 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.920 pick me to myself as I done it myself off 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:47.520 when I got up. But it is goodness for that. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.080 It's night and day. And it just took a little 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:54.600 while to get used to it. But I had to 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.040 find a role for me on the team that kept 0:07:57.040 --> 0:08:00.200 a job until I learned how to play linebacker. Just 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.640 special teams and you'll hear coaches Bill talks about it 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:04.480 all the time. Well, these guys, they got to show 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.400 me something on special teams before we can even introduce 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:10.160 them to what's going on. So the positive in your 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:14.600 rookie year, and there was a lot of positives. Larry 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:16.840 Wigham twenty five. I always remember twenty five and your 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:19.440 scoreboard number one in your heart walk punt down at Baltimore. 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:21.440 Who was there to scoop and score? Yeah, my first 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:25.720 ever career touchdown I was against the Baltimore Ravens. See, 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:29.000 playing special team does one thing and then also finding 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:32.280 a role somehow to help the defense. I mean they 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.360 saw I could rush the passer even still as a 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.160 down lineman still, and so they tried to find a 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:39.800 way to put me on the field. And al Girl 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:42.560 made a package called Cactus because I went to the 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.719 University of Arizona, so this called Cactus. I remember there 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:49.360 was a package versus Buffalo when we got Rabel, we 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.000 called it Buckeye, but for me, it was Cactus. I'd 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:54.719 come in and I played defensive tackle. I got two 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:57.200 sacks in the Super Bowl from the defensive tackle position, 0:08:57.320 --> 0:08:59.520 I mean beating guards and spin moves and all of 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:03.880 that stuff, you know. So ill so Special Teams also 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:07.560 became somewhat of an adjustment to me. The past Russian 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:11.200 was natural. I remember Sweatman, who was the Special team's 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:13.360 coach at that time, coming up to me in the 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.160 hallways and telling me, a, you gotta start making some tackles, 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:19.720 because it was three weeks and I hadn't made a 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:22.240 tackle yet on kickoff team or punt team, and it 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.640 was like, yeah, you gotta start showing us you can 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:26.439 do some things, or we're gonna put somebody else in there. 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:29.920 I went out the next game and had three Special 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:32.240 Teams tackles. I was like, you got to produce, even 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:35.720 you know, if you're in that developmental role, but still 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:37.960 what they put you in, you still have to show 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:41.320 progress and produce and make, you know, make plays. So 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:45.480 that dovetails into probably not a very forgettable moment for you. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:47.920 And so blame the passer if you want, But Denver 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:51.880 at home, Denver was loaded. Denver's loaded. That's an infamous 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:57.240 national guard. A national Guard were killing the patriots and 0:09:57.920 --> 0:09:59.920 you go for it on fourth down and two pers 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:03.360 throwing to number fifty four. Well, it wasn't supposed to 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.520 go to me. The call was Brown, right, okay, And 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.440 it was for Corwyn Brown. He was the personal protector. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:11.920 He was to release and then and and run a 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:14.520 route that was deeper than mine and the out route, 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:17.679 and I was the wing and I went out and 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.559 there it was and the ball was there, and it 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:24.520 was a perfect throw for a guy who's had so 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:28.559 many interceptions interceptions for touchdowns, and like that's a different 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:30.839 to being a rookie problem. Not at that point, right, not, 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.200 at that point. I was still a defensive lineman on 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:35.760 the bo team right there, from the from the universe, Arizona. 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:38.480 But it came, it was in my hands for a 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:42.240 second and then boom just dropped it and it was 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.280 that started the route, you know. And I remember walking 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:48.199 by parcels like you gotta cash that, Bruce Key. I'm like, 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.880 oh man, So that was like you know what I 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:55.160 did too. There was an article in the Globe, I think, 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:58.200 after that, and there was a picture of me on 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:00.920 the ground and I saved that article for a long 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.640 time because I never wanted me to be that guy again. 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.280 And sort of poetic justice in the AFC Championship game 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:11.280 when I got that interception. Somebody might have just by 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.439 a batted ball up in the air, a tip all 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:14.600 up in the air, and I caught it, and I 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.720 ran straight out of bounds and almost it was almost 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:20.520 in the same area where I dropped that pass. So 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.800 that's a little bit of a little bit of redemption 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.600 for me. But whenever I see someone have a moment 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:28.839 like that, I always think of my moment and and 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:31.439 that was my rookie year, and yeah, that was what 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:35.839 I won't forget. So you mentioned parcels reaction. What was 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.480 it liked to come in and play for Bill Parcels 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:40.680 as a rookie. What were your first impressions of him. 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.720 I had never been, you know, just a different type 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.240 of coach I had never experienced. Dick Tomy was my 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:53.920 coaching in college. Parcels was much more aggressive, much more Jersey, 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:57.880 you know, sort of like my father, you know, you know, 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:01.720 really rough Italian man like my dad was. But I 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.440 know Parcels not Italian or anything like that, but still, 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:09.640 um that type of personality, aggressive, break you down, build 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:13.840 you up type of thing. Um excuse me. Just very 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.800 fortunate that Bill was the one that laid my football 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:20.520 foundation that I call it because you know she After 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:23.160 Bill left, I mean, Carol came in and it was 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:25.439 Pete Carroll came in and it was like night and day. 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:29.240 But for Bill to teach me, you know, those type 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:32.200 of lessons about you know, hard work and what it 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:34.040 took to put into the game was something that was 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:36.560 special to me. I mean I started making plays my 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.960 rookie year, even in practice, and they started to see progress. 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:42.920 And this is this is Bill Parcels for you. He 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:44.920 used to drive his Cadillac all the way to the 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:47.840 to the to the bubble back then, and every it 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:49.840 was like that El Dorado, he just get a different 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:51.840 El Dorado. It is a different color whatever it was. 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:54.199 And I had one good practice where I stepped in 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.240 front of Degg Megat and I intercepted Bled. So when 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:57.840 I took it back, I got a sack on Bled. 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:02.440 So something like that. And Parcels says, Bruce Ki, get 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:05.360 in my car. And so he drove me back to 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.559 practice and it was about a good that's getting called 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:11.480 to the principles. Yes, yeah, oh shit, oh sorry, like 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:13.920 what is this about? You know what I mean? So um, 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:15.880 he drives me in the car and he talks to 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.120 me about a few things and then only talks to 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:20.280 me about for half the riot is getting an accountant. 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:22.920 And I said, and he says to me, I've seen 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:27.760 more guys go down to the irs than to drugs 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:30.320 or women or anything like that. Man, So go ahead 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:32.680 and get your get your accountant and make sure things 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:36.840 are in order. And I went home called my agent, 0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:38.960 said I need an accountant, and he said it's November. Man, 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:41.400 you don't need an accountant right now. But I don't 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.120 care get one anyway, because that was a that was 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:47.520 like a moment for me, because there was Bill Parcel's 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.120 telling me that I could I could be in this 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:52.400 league for a long time, and you know, it was 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:54.080 just it was just a moment. I'll never forget that 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.400 Cadillac ride in that El Dorado you talk about. You 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:58.760 talked earlier about your kids. Here's one that's a teachable 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:01.800 moment for your kids as a dad. The coach doesn't 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.240 talk to the kid who he doesn't think has got 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:07.320 really any future, you know. Yeah, he's on the kids 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.439 who he sees something in maybe that he's not getting 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:11.080 anything out of. Or he talks to the kid that 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:13.040 he needs a little bit something more out of that 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:14.920 must have kind of blown your mind a little bit 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.600 that you're getting called into the principal's office, Like I said, 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.480 mobile style. But he showed you then that he cared. 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:24.760 He did, and he cared in a way that I mean, 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.320 even if guys had problems, Bill will try to help 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.120 them fix their problems. I remember hearing the stories I 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.960 mean about him just getting involved in guys' lives. But 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.360 for me, I didn't have problem. I had problem. I mean, 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.200 it was more of I see a future for you. 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:43.040 So this is a step where you can make that 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:44.920 make sure that future is going to be a good one. 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.400 And you know that was really positive for me. That's awesome. 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:51.200 So then how are you affected by his departure after 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:56.080 your rookie season and this is the NFL. I mean, 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:58.600 I remember seeing that article by Will McDonough and the 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.400 you know, the headline and parcels to leave after the 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:04.320 super Bowl and everything like that, and one year and 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:08.600 you're done. You know, I valued my time with him 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.880 so much, you know, But to see that he was 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:14.000 leaving is I had no idea what to what to think. 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:17.200 I mean, I'm a rookie. I don't know what's going on, Okay, 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.440 who's the next coach going to be coming in? I 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.560 thought the coach was going to be Belichick, really because 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:27.080 Parcels didn't take the plane ride back, but Bill was 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:31.360 on that plane, and Bill was going around to certain 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:36.000 specific players and having individual conversations, and I was wondering 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:38.280 why he was doing that. And he remember him talking 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:40.520 to me and saying, you did a great job. That's 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:42.520 a good rookie year. You just got to keep working 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.240 and improve, like he was talking about the future, like 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:48.600 the immediate future. And he walked away and I said, Okay, 0:15:48.640 --> 0:15:51.040 I guess he's going to be our next coach. And 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.280 then of course that didn't work out, and then Pete 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:57.360 Carroll came in. But you know, so everything's just like, 0:15:57.520 --> 0:15:59.080 I don't know who the coach is going to be. 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.840 I just got to make year I keep my job somehow, someway, 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:04.560 because that's how you that's how players, when you're going 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:06.800 through all these problems and all these distractions and all 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.320 these coaches changing, it's it's just about, Okay, well, how 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:13.040 can I keep my job? And that's what my thought 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:15.440 process was at that point. You were listening to the 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.400 Pats from the Past podcast brought to you by who 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.280 but WB Mason. W B. Mason delivers all of your 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:28.120 business essentials for free with no minimum order breaking furniture, facilities, maintenance, 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.800 office applies, and so much more for the latist delivery 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:34.960 of business products. Nobody does it better than who but 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:39.200 WB Mason. But is it intoxicating? Teddy? Your rookie year, 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:41.760 you go to the Super Bowl and despite all this 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:45.120 turmoil and everything, you know, what kind of a foundation 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:46.640 that you have in a nucleus that you have with 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:48.600 this team? Was there any part of it? Was there 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:50.880 an assumption like we'll be back, Yeah, this is easy. 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:52.760 You know, I did it my rookie year. We'll be back. 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.280 This team's loaded. Do you make an assumption at that 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:57.760 point in time? Or is there so much chaos going 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.520 on that you just got to worry about? Am I 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.480 going to be here? Yeah? With all the change and 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:06.840 the coaching change, I wasn't thinking anything about us being 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:09.560 successful consistently down the line and going back to the 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:14.360 Super Bowl. I was thinking about how do I continue 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.359 to get better to be more of a part of 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:19.440 the team. Because from those conversations I told you about 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:23.160 with Sweatman and Parcels and you know, not knowing how 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.800 to play linebacker. I was like, if I don't learn 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.040 to play this linebacker position, I'm not going to be 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.960 around long anyway, so it won't matter. So after my 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:33.400 first year, I just knew there was so much more 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:35.679 work for me to do in terms of, you know, 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:39.040 sort of establishing myself and formulating a career at the 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:43.320 linebacker position. So Pete comes in in nineteen ninety seven. 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:45.639 You guys get off to a four and oh start, 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:49.840 and I remember the conversations in the locker room, you know, 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:54.880 guys like Lawyer talking about how you guys were much 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.280 more aggressive under Pete and how it was kind of 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:02.760 refreshing that he was letting you guys be yourselves almost 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:07.480 And then some adversity hit and those conversations changed quickly 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:12.119 to you know, maybe we needed that heavy hand. What 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.720 do you remember most about that transition and how difficult 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:19.240 that was? Was that for a young football team because 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:23.280 your nucleus of what ended up being Super Bowl champions 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:26.919 was very young at that point. Yeah, it's man to 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:31.359 give so much control to a young team like that. 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:34.360 I'm looking back on it now. It was a mistake. 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:39.679 I know, Pete Pete left here a better coach because 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:43.080 what I know now is this Pete has something called 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.639 tell the Truth Mondays. Like Pete would name all the days. 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:51.040 It was competition Wednesday, turnover, Thursday, no repeat, Friday, those 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.800 type of themes for days. But for Monday, we come 0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:55.760 in after the game and just watch the film and 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.720 then we'd start on the days on Wednesday. So we 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.160 went to USC and he started tell the Truth Monday, 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:04.119 which is you turned on a film and it's like 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:06.400 you're gonna get it for the mistakes that you made. 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.800 And that type of tone was never set when he 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:12.359 was here, you know, it was it was more of 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.080 him allowing the older players. I mean, I mean we 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:18.359 still had I mean as we had Coats and Armstrong 0:19:18.440 --> 0:19:20.600 and some of those guys that were the veterans. Henry 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:22.800 Thomas came in a little later after the Super Bowl. 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:27.080 Yeah yeah. So but that type of accountability piece I 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:29.320 think he learned, and he ended up taking it to 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:33.040