Speaker 1: This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans,
Speaker 1: celebrating seventy six years of providing Tennessee's with high quality
Speaker 1: health coverage at an affordable price. Visit FBHP dot com
Speaker 1: to learn about our history in Tennessee. With Amy Wells,
Speaker 1: I'm Mike Keith on a busy day at a Cention St.
Speaker 1: Thomas Sports Park, but an exciting day. Doesn't it feel
Speaker 1: good to be busy? It does, and today was extremely exciting.
Speaker 1: We recorded this on Friday, January the twentieth, and just
Speaker 1: a little while ago, Ran Carthon had his first press
Speaker 1: conference as he's introduced as general manager. Amy Adam Strunk
Speaker 1: very excited to introduce him, Mike Vrabel, very excited to
Speaker 1: work with him. I mean he won the press conference,
Speaker 1: There's no question about it. I mean he blew everybody away.
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone who had heard the build up
Speaker 1: to him is surprised that he won the press conference. Amy, No,
Speaker 1: absolutely not. I mean anybody you talked to in the
Speaker 1: National Football League, anybody who has spoken on him publicly
Speaker 1: at all in the last week or so, has had
Speaker 1: glowing things to say about Ran. And I think we
Speaker 1: all saw that today, ton of charisma, ton of excitement,
Speaker 1: and you can tell he's passionate about this job, this opportunity,
Speaker 1: and also this football team. And I think that those
Speaker 1: three things are all good by me. I'm just over
Speaker 1: the moon. Everybody blown away to by the video from
Speaker 1: Thursday of him entering Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park and
Speaker 1: the staff on hand to greet him, and what that
Speaker 1: meant to both he and his family. Absolutely, it was,
Speaker 1: I mean a beautiful moment. The video, it just blows
Speaker 1: you away, you know. And the Titans posted it and
Speaker 1: I got a ton of things from people all across
Speaker 1: the NFL just kind of talking about what a cool
Speaker 1: moment that was. You could tell it really touched him,
Speaker 1: and I think it also really kind of touched Aby
Speaker 1: Adam Strunk. She seemed blown away by the fact that
Speaker 1: every area of the club, from the ticket office to
Speaker 1: the marketing department, to coaching staff and scouts, everybody was
Speaker 1: there and it showed how this team has really kind
Speaker 1: of come together, and the collective organization, not just the
Speaker 1: football side, not just the business side, but the collective
Speaker 1: organization is excited about this higher and this next chapter
Speaker 1: for this team. Let's hear from ran Carthon, as I
Speaker 1: had a chance to sit down and visit with him
Speaker 1: about more than just football, about his dad, his perception
Speaker 1: of this job. Coming back to this part of the country,
Speaker 1: you'll hear that he is a very serious Florida Gator
Speaker 1: to this day. Still this and a lot more rant
Speaker 1: Carthon joining us on the a T T. This is
Speaker 1: the man of the hour, the Titans New GM, and
Speaker 1: we have to start with the most important part. I say,
Speaker 1: because I watched your dad play in the usfl Maurice Carthon,
Speaker 1: I say Carthon because that's how they said it on TV.
Speaker 1: Is that your preferred pronunciation? We can, yes, that's how
Speaker 1: I pronounce it. My mom pronounced it Carthon. Since everybody
Speaker 1: has their own my mom said it when when you
Speaker 1: got hired, she said Carthon. I said, I think it's Carthon.
Speaker 1: So I use Carthon. I use Carthon, he uses Carthon.
Speaker 1: Everybody has their own version of it, but we'll roll
Speaker 1: with Carthon. Titans fans say, Carthon, you're doing just fine,
Speaker 1: all right, So when you're looking for players, I want
Speaker 1: to I want to throw the stead at you about
Speaker 1: your dad. Okay, So in nineteen eighty five, he played
Speaker 1: twenty two games for the New Jersey General Do you
Speaker 1: know this, Yes, he played twenty two games for the
Speaker 1: New Years Generals. Then he walked sixty five steps from
Speaker 1: the General's locker room at the Meadowlands to the Giants
Speaker 1: locker room at the meadow Lands, and then he played
Speaker 1: twenty three games for the Giants. So, in the space
Speaker 1: of less than a year, your dad played in forty
Speaker 1: five games. Can you find us some players like that?
Speaker 1: I don't think those existing the first time? Limitations and
Speaker 1: but no, he told me that story, and I was
Speaker 1: I was unaware of that story. He told me that
Speaker 1: man probably about eight years ago he told me that story.
Speaker 1: I think he had a two week window from when
Speaker 1: the USFL season ended versus when he signed with the Giants.
Speaker 1: And he told me legitimately he almost retired following that
Speaker 1: season just because the total took on his body, and
Speaker 1: especially as a lead blocking you know, fullback who didn't
Speaker 1: touch the ball. He just was a battering round. Was
Speaker 1: an extension of the old line. But yeah, that's a
Speaker 1: that's a crazy step. What's the main trait you think
Speaker 1: you take from your dad? And you carry on into
Speaker 1: your life to this day. Work. That's the first thing
Speaker 1: come to mind. I tell people I'm an early riser.
Speaker 1: I got that from my dad. Like my biological clock,
Speaker 1: no matter what coast i'm I'm up by four forty seven,
Speaker 1: and it's specifically for forty seven, you know, And it's
Speaker 1: no alarm. And that's just my biological clock. My dad
Speaker 1: when he was coaching, he was in the office by
Speaker 1: four or thirty. Guy. You know, my dad worked extremely
Speaker 1: hard and that's that was him all the way through.
Speaker 1: And you know, I mean ultimately he had a he
Speaker 1: had a stroke in twenty fourteen New Year's Day, and
Speaker 1: that was a lot of you know, stress from the
Speaker 1: way he worked in not allowing his body to regenerate.
Speaker 1: But you know, the way I'm hard wired comes from
Speaker 1: him to you know, I'll be in here early. That's
Speaker 1: just who I am. I get my best works done then.
Speaker 1: But that's the quality I think I've took the most
Speaker 1: from my dad. Ran What was it like telling your
Speaker 1: mom and dad I'm a GM in the NFL as
Speaker 1: of today? So it's funny. My dad and I we
Speaker 1: were talking about it last night when he got in town.
Speaker 1: He was like you told me the news so calm.
Speaker 1: He was like, I was just waiting no more. I
Speaker 1: didn't know if you were serious. And I kind of
Speaker 1: got that consistently. Even my wife didn't take me serious.
Speaker 1: But you know, like I've said before, I was in
Speaker 1: the middle of an airport terminal, you know, so I
Speaker 1: couldn't be too excited and run. You have this vision
Speaker 1: of you know, when I get that call that I'm
Speaker 1: going to be named the GM of a place, like
Speaker 1: I'm it's like draft day where you see the guys
Speaker 1: jump up in family's check. I'm in a terminal with strangers,
Speaker 1: you know, And so I just tried to compose myself
Speaker 1: as much as possible where he was just giving me
Speaker 1: a hard time last night that I was just way
Speaker 1: too calm. Found a couple of quotes from you from
Speaker 1: twenty twelve. I want to read them to you and
Speaker 1: see how much they still apply. That's what I'm all about.
Speaker 1: I'm all about winning, even more so than in twenty twelve.
Speaker 1: I mean now in twenty twelve, I'm I'm assuming at
Speaker 1: the time I was with the Rams may have just
Speaker 1: gotten hired by the Rams. So I'm playing a key
Speaker 1: part in Lesson's operation. And I tell guys in the
Speaker 1: office all the time, whether you agree or disagree with
Speaker 1: the decision. Let's just use Less as example. Since we're talking,
Speaker 1: we're here to execute Less's vision. Right, So I'm just
Speaker 1: a soldier in Less's army, and now I get to
Speaker 1: be the general, you know, of an army. So it's
Speaker 1: really more it's important, you know, like I said, to win,
Speaker 1: you know, and it's even more important now than I'm
Speaker 1: the general. All right, here's another one. I never run
Speaker 1: away from competition. I'm a very competitive guy. I'm feeling
Speaker 1: like that came from my college days and I know
Speaker 1: the exact time we had a log jam in the backfield.
Speaker 1: And I'm not afraid of competition, you know. I'm one
Speaker 1: of those people that I'm good with having the uncomfortable conversation,
Speaker 1: you know, because sometimes you just need to take things
Speaker 1: head on, and whether you win or lose, you usually
Speaker 1: get better, you know, when you compete on something. So
Speaker 1: that still holds true. All Right, you're an SEC guy.
Speaker 1: You're back in SEC country. It feels like that was
Speaker 1: part of the allure of this job, was to get
Speaker 1: back here where you know, football just means a little
Speaker 1: bit more no matter what level it's. Yeah, it was,
Speaker 1: It's super important and I'm gonna have to be careful.
Speaker 1: Fine my gator flag. Every home that we've lived in
Speaker 1: we have something gator oriented in in front of our
Speaker 1: home and let everybody know where gators now. We have
Speaker 1: a decal on the garage. I got a little gator
Speaker 1: holding a football on the front step. I remember living
Speaker 1: in Atlanta, I had a Gator flag. After every SEC game.
Speaker 1: Usually my flag was in the yard because somebody came
Speaker 1: and took it down, you know. But it's really huge,
Speaker 1: you know, and even from an outside of football perspective.
Speaker 1: My wife is from Miami, and it just allows us
Speaker 1: to get back on this side and be closer to family.
Speaker 1: You know, our parents are getting up there in age,
Speaker 1: so it's more important to you know, spend more time
Speaker 1: with them, and you know, being here in this location
Speaker 1: allows us to do. So. When you finished your playing career,
Speaker 1: you went back and finished your degree and then you said,
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna follow my dad into coaching, which is
Speaker 1: what most former players do. You said, I want to
Speaker 1: work in personnel. Why did personnel have that kind of
Speaker 1: intrigue for you? So what people don't know is my
Speaker 1: dad's initial thing was he wanted to do personnel. Okay,
Speaker 1: so Parcels called him, I think this was ninety four
Speaker 1: ninety five and offered him a job. My dad was like, okay, cool,
Speaker 1: but I want to do personnel. And Bill's like, if
Speaker 1: you know, Bill know you're coaching. And once he stamps that,
Speaker 1: that's what it is. And so my dad always steered me,
Speaker 1: you know, to personnel. So when I was in college,
Speaker 1: pro day circuit comes, I get a call, Hey, coach
Speaker 1: A is coming. You need to meet him at the
Speaker 1: office at six. You need to watch film with him.
Speaker 1: You need to hold his clipboard, you need to clock
Speaker 1: his forties, you need to and you need to talk
Speaker 1: to him about your teammates. And so that was kind
Speaker 1: of ingrained in me early. And so when I was done,
Speaker 1: I actually coached high schoolball one year in Miami in
Speaker 1: two thousand and seven to see if I had that
Speaker 1: in me. And I learned after two weeks that coaching
Speaker 1: wasn't for me, but it was a good experience to have.
Speaker 1: And then once I went back to finish my degree,
Speaker 1: I kind of just you know, went all charges ahead.
Speaker 1: You went through some st as a player. You got
Speaker 1: hurt in high school. You get to Florida, a bunch
Speaker 1: of backs there, you have to wait your turn. You
Speaker 1: don't get drafted, you fight your way into the NFL,
Speaker 1: you're cut multiple times, the journey being I don't want
Speaker 1: to say hard, but I mean certainly there were obstacles.
Speaker 1: How much of that do you carry into this job
Speaker 1: and do you feel like helps you in the personnel
Speaker 1: world and now as a general manager? Yeah, I think
Speaker 1: it allows what these young men are going through. I
Speaker 1: think it brings a human element to it because I've
Speaker 1: been through it. One of my mentors back home build spots.
Speaker 1: Would you know, his family owned a hotel and at
Speaker 1: the age of fourteen, he knew that that's what he
Speaker 1: wanted to do, so his father made him work for
Speaker 1: every job in the hotel until he eventually took over.
Speaker 1: So that's how I see my journey, right, I've gone
Speaker 1: through all these multiple steps and now I'm here at
Speaker 1: the pinnacle of you know what it is we do
Speaker 1: and so I've worked every job in the buildings. So
Speaker 1: now that allows me to identify with every scout I've
Speaker 1: been in the locker room. I've been cut multiple times,
Speaker 1: so now I can identify with those guys in the
Speaker 1: locker room. So that's kind of how I see my journey.
Speaker 1: Alignment in the organization. You said that's the most important
Speaker 1: lesson you've learned that successful organizations have alignment between personnel
Speaker 1: and coaching. When you talked about that today at the
Speaker 1: press conference, I totally believed you because you could you
Speaker 1: sense that having seen it successfully work, that it can
Speaker 1: be carried over right. Yeah. Absolutely, And at the end
Speaker 1: of the day, like I said, you know, we're we're
Speaker 1: here to execute you know, Mike's vision and Mike and
Speaker 1: you know whomever our knew offensive coordinator going to be
Speaker 1: in our defensive coordinating specialty coordinator. They have a way
Speaker 1: that they want to do things and it's our job,
Speaker 1: as you know, a personnel staff, to go find those players.
Speaker 1: You know, Miss Amy and the crew from the interview.
Speaker 1: I you know, I have this quote and they've heard
Speaker 1: me say it. Hunting at the same time. Is it
Speaker 1: the same as hunting together? And that's what I want
Speaker 1: to do here. I want our guys to hunt together
Speaker 1: so we can go out and bring home you know,
Speaker 1: the meal so to speak, allow us to be successful.
Speaker 1: One way that you brought home the meal is in
Speaker 1: San Francisco, you identified a lot of free agents that
Speaker 1: have fit well into the forty nine ers world, whether
Speaker 1: they be big name or not. Why has that been
Speaker 1: a strength and what do you feel about that that
Speaker 1: you hope you can do here the same way Again,
Speaker 1: it goes back to our staffs being married, you know,
Speaker 1: in the collaboration of the staff, knowing what is going
Speaker 1: to take for us to be successful, knowing what our
Speaker 1: coaches want, but then at the same time knowing the
Speaker 1: right people to bring into our culture. You know, one
Speaker 1: thing I can say if you look at the Rasha
Speaker 1: that we built in San Francisco, we didn't have a
Speaker 1: lot of bad character guys. We didn't have a lot
Speaker 1: of guys facing disciplinary actions because we were intentional about
Speaker 1: the type of person that we wanted to come in
Speaker 1: and fit our culture all right. Last one, you have
Speaker 1: been so close to winning a Super Bowl as a
Speaker 1: player and as a personnel man in this league. I mean,
Speaker 1: you have been frightened clothes. How much of it is
Speaker 1: a motivation that you bring to Ascension Saint Thome of
Speaker 1: Sports Sports Park and the Tennessee Titans today. Yeah, that
Speaker 1: was one of the things I spoke with the group
Speaker 1: interview group about is you know, it would be their
Speaker 1: first Lombardy, in my first Lombardy. And after we lost
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl in twenty nineteen, obviously devastated, and I'm
Speaker 1: talking to my wife about it, and my wife kind
Speaker 1: of brought up the point, you know, maybe it's not
Speaker 1: your time. You know, maybe your time is when you're
Speaker 1: in charge somewhere. Maybe that's your time. And I truly,
Speaker 1: you know, believe, you know, by the grace and mercy
Speaker 1: of the Most High, that you know that the time
Speaker 1: will come with me in charge, and it's specifically here
Speaker 1: with this organization, I hope. So we're looking forward to
Speaker 1: the ride, whatever it is. Thank you so much. Thank you,
Speaker 1: Brad Carthon. It's saying it proper. We're glad he's here,
Speaker 1: Thanks very much. All right, So let's pick up on
Speaker 1: the Florida thing for just a minute, and the fact
Speaker 1: that he is still very much a gay. Yes, when
Speaker 1: Florida beat Tennessee in two thousand and six, twenty one
Speaker 1: to twenty, he went to Peyton Manning's room. He's still
Speaker 1: with the colds. He went to Peyton Manning's room, knocked
Speaker 1: on the door. Peyton Manning opened the door and he
Speaker 1: started singing the Florida fight song. That's very funny. Peyton
Speaker 1: immediately closed the door and he stood there and continued
Speaker 1: to sing the Florida fight song until he was finished. That.
Speaker 1: I must say I respect that too. I also respect
Speaker 1: Peyton for slamming the door. I'm sure Peyton did not
Speaker 1: find that funny. No, he would not find that funny.
Speaker 1: But ran Carthon was cut eleven days later by the Colts.
Speaker 1: Do you think it was I was just about to
Speaker 1: say that's a little too close. I don't think that's
Speaker 1: why he was. He was waived. But you know, I
Speaker 1: think the word that comes to my mind. You watched
Speaker 1: the interview, you heard the whole thing, you met him
Speaker 1: as well. Genuine. Genuine's a great word. Yes, very genuine.
Speaker 1: I think he I mean, I think he's going to
Speaker 1: be a guy who he is who he is. You know,
Speaker 1: he seems passionate about learning, not just how to do
Speaker 1: this job and do it really well because he's never
Speaker 1: been a general manager before, but he also seems very
Speaker 1: passionate about learning this organization. He wants to know the
Speaker 1: ins and outs of what's happening. Here at Ascension Saint
Speaker 1: Thomas Sports Park. And it's not just he's coming in
Speaker 1: and doing things his way. He wants to find the
Speaker 1: best way and pull from a lot of different things,
Speaker 1: whether they're established or whether there's something he's experienced from
Speaker 1: somewhere else. And I think that that thirst for kind
Speaker 1: of knowledge and understanding is something that comes through right away,
Speaker 1: and I think is what's going to make him successful
Speaker 1: ultimately at this job. All right. Another thing that jumped
Speaker 1: out to me is I'm listening to him. I'm thinking
Speaker 1: about the GM search in twenty sixteen and the level
Speaker 1: of candidate that Amy Adams Strunk had. I mean, it
Speaker 1: was a it was a super duper list of people
Speaker 1: who have done things and have been successful. And her
Speaker 1: general manager that she hired was successful. This time, it's
Speaker 1: a very different job need in terms of the GM, right,
Speaker 1: because the Titans aren't bad, you know the Titans. The
Speaker 1: Titans aren't a five win team over two years. The
Speaker 1: Titans don't have the number one pick in the draft.
Speaker 1: And it was an impressive list of people that she interviewed,
Speaker 1: several of whom I think you're going to go on
Speaker 1: to hear from. I mean, Monti Austin for it's already
Speaker 1: gotten a GM job in the last week, so I
Speaker 1: think she identified the right people again. But it feels
Speaker 1: like to me, Ran Carthon is the right I at
Speaker 1: this moment for where this franchise was. Yeah, the same
Speaker 1: way she had the temperature in twenty sixteen of who
Speaker 1: she needed to interview and what she needed, And it
Speaker 1: feels like she got the temperature right of who she
Speaker 1: needed to talk to this time and what she needed.
Speaker 1: Because it's not exactly the same thing. It's absolutely not
Speaker 1: the same thing. And I think that's a great point
Speaker 1: that you make. This job isn't about necessarily building the
Speaker 1: foundation of the Tennessee Titans. There is a foundation for
Speaker 1: the Tennessee Titans because they have been very successful in
Speaker 1: the last eight years. Now it's about elevating now, it's
Speaker 1: about getting over the hump, moving to the next echelon
Speaker 1: of what makes a team a great team, a perennial contender,
Speaker 1: a team that this entire nation is talking about consistently,
Speaker 1: and that's kind of the next level. So getting someone
Speaker 1: who has different experiences, a different perspective, a fresh set
Speaker 1: of eyes. There's so many different elements that are required
Speaker 1: in that position right now. I think that that's reflected
Speaker 1: not only in the people that Amy brought in to
Speaker 1: really be looking at, but it's reflected in the way
Speaker 1: that Ran as approaching this position and the way that
Speaker 1: he's approaching this job. We heard the word collaboration about
Speaker 1: nine hundred and eighty four times, and I think that
Speaker 1: that's really truly what they are going to be doing.
Speaker 1: It's collaborating. It's working together to build on what is
Speaker 1: already established and elevate it and make it that much better.
Speaker 1: This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.
Speaker 1: Plan on paying Less for the coverage you need with
Speaker 1: Farm Bureau Health Plans. Get a quote today at FBHP
Speaker 1: dot com. Amy Adam Strunck was kind enough to take
Speaker 1: a little time to swing by and visit with us
Speaker 1: as she's positively glowing about the hiring of Ran Carthon today.
Speaker 1: And you just heard it is Carthon. Carthon very fine,
Speaker 1: And it helps because that is the way somebody from
Speaker 1: the South would say it. Yeah, people don't say Carthon here.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't think, you know, I don't think my mother did.
Speaker 1: She got me thrown off because she was like, she
Speaker 1: was like, it's Carthon, I think, and so that got
Speaker 1: in my head. So then that's why I ask you,
Speaker 1: Ran Carthon. But I can pronounce this, Amy Adams Strump,
Speaker 1: that's not hard with us now on the OTP Titans,
Speaker 1: owner Amy Adams Strump today introduced the team's new general manager,
Speaker 1: Ran Carthon. As you compiled the list of general manager
Speaker 1: candidates to interview, what were some of the most important
Speaker 1: characteristics that you were looking for. Well, I think first,
Speaker 1: you know, you have to think we need to find
Speaker 1: the best evaluator. But you can be so technical, but
Speaker 1: there's so much more involved in being a great GM,
Speaker 1: and so there was going to be a lot of things. Leadership, personality,
Speaker 1: they're just a lot goes into being that guy that
Speaker 1: that can collaborate with Frabel. You know, most gms picked
Speaker 1: their coach, and we have a you know, special situation.
Speaker 1: We have a great coach, and you know that was
Speaker 1: going to be important to me. I had to find
Speaker 1: who I thought could really help this team get to
Speaker 1: the next step, but help this team by working very
Speaker 1: closely with Mike. And you didn't go for a search firm.
Speaker 1: You did all this research yourself, you and the group together.
Speaker 1: Why was that so important? Well, I think you know,
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, we had over a
Speaker 1: hundred candidates that you know, six weeks ago we were
Speaker 1: looking at, and we kind of got the list down
Speaker 1: to who we thought would would be good choices and
Speaker 1: we didn't need the help with a search firm identifying candidates.
Speaker 1: What we did do is hired two consultants that helped
Speaker 1: us a lot. I mean they gave us some grave
Speaker 1: structure to go by during these interviews, Like we had
Speaker 1: set questions for all of these seven candidates that we wanted.
Speaker 1: You know, they would get sub questions out of it
Speaker 1: or sub answers. They'd be, you know, talking, we'd kind
Speaker 1: of move along, but we always tried to go back,
Speaker 1: so at the end of the day, we were always
Speaker 1: comparing apples to apples. Ran Carthon interviewed last Friday. What
Speaker 1: struck you about him in that initial interview. Well, immediately,
Speaker 1: you know, you could just see he was a people
Speaker 1: person and he just he has a magnetic you saw
Speaker 1: it today personality. I mean, he's got an ease about him.
Speaker 1: You feel comfort. In fact, we were overlooking the practice
Speaker 1: feels before the interview, and I was like, oh, this
Speaker 1: whole wing is new and it was a remodel for
Speaker 1: the old part and he went, oh, just like HDTV,
Speaker 1: And I'm like, yes, like HD. Wait a minute, I'm
Speaker 1: supposed to make you feel relaxed. Now you're you know,
Speaker 1: because I guess somewhere he'd heard that I'd like to
Speaker 1: remodel things. So but anyway, he just he has a
Speaker 1: natural way of making you comfortable. And you could just
Speaker 1: see that it would be a good fit with Mike Rabel.
Speaker 1: Did you know less Friday he was the guy now.
Speaker 1: I mean I really knew right away I want to
Speaker 1: learn more about Ran and so we had always thought
Speaker 1: we were going to go through, you know, the second
Speaker 1: interview with a shortened list, and I knew pretty much
Speaker 1: right away five minutes into the interview that I wanted
Speaker 1: to learn more about Ran. So but you know, you
Speaker 1: heard a lot of good things today in the presser
Speaker 1: and he just, you know, he wants to be that
Speaker 1: guy that helps bring a championship to Tennessee, but do
Speaker 1: it through collaboration. And I read somewhere that in my
Speaker 1: interview with Teresa someone was like she used that word
Speaker 1: like twenty times well, I heard it a like today
Speaker 1: and it wasn't from me, so you know he believes it.
Speaker 1: And it's one thing to say, oh, I can collaborate,
Speaker 1: but what does that really mean to you? Anybody can
Speaker 1: say that I want to be that collaborator, but you
Speaker 1: really got the sense that he really wanted to be
Speaker 1: that guy that can work all over this building. I mean,
Speaker 1: he's just got that way about him. He's a good
Speaker 1: fit for our organization. Was there a moment in the
Speaker 1: second interview where you knew it was Rancarthon. Well, we
Speaker 1: used the second interview to kind of really dig into
Speaker 1: the weeds, so to speak. And the time before the
Speaker 1: second interview, you know, we called I was just Adolpho
Speaker 1: call everyone you can possibly come up with, and and
Speaker 1: Burt called John Lynch. And I'm sure you've heard that
Speaker 1: John had just glowing things to say about him that
Speaker 1: you know, they brought him in as a director or
Speaker 1: a pro personnel, but they learned right away that that
Speaker 1: was he's a lot more than just that. And I
Speaker 1: think he kind of indicated today that they'd never in
Speaker 1: San Francisco, they don't put people in boxes. You may
Speaker 1: have this title, but a good idea is a good idea,
Speaker 1: and I don't care who it's from or if if
Speaker 1: you can go e value you know, you know that
Speaker 1: kid or down in University of Florida or wherever. You know,
Speaker 1: they'd bring Ran Ran to the rescue sort of thing.
Speaker 1: I mean, they just don't get stuck putting people in boxes,
Speaker 1: which I think is a really you know, I've always
Speaker 1: admired the forty nine ers, and I believe that. And
Speaker 1: Bert called John on Saturday when they were going to
Speaker 1: have a game, you know, and said, now call me later.
Speaker 1: I know you're busy. And John called him right away
Speaker 1: and he was at the stadium because he wanted to
Speaker 1: talk about Ran. And you know that says a lot
Speaker 1: right there. And I called Jed Yord and he just
Speaker 1: had the most wonderful things and he said, I mean,
Speaker 1: you just would never regret hiring Ran as your GM. Ever.
Speaker 1: You've been doing this nearly eight years. I know a
Speaker 1: lot of significant moments in that period of time. So
Speaker 1: for you, these moments are always emotional because this organization
Speaker 1: means so much to you. The people means so much
Speaker 1: to you for you overall, as you got to introduce
Speaker 1: Ran Carthon as the general manager today. From an emotional standpoint,
Speaker 1: what jumps out like yesterday when everybody was in the lobby,
Speaker 1: and I mean from the stadium to the ticket off
Speaker 1: to marketing, everybody was there and they were cheering because
Speaker 1: I think everybody recognized that we got a really special
Speaker 1: person coming to our organization. I think back eight years.
Speaker 1: I can't believe it's been eight years, but I think back,
Speaker 1: and it's just, you know, we've come such a long way,
Speaker 1: and I feel us all, you know, rowing together. We're
Speaker 1: we're a team. Everybody's a team, and I just don't
Speaker 1: mean the football team. I mean everybody in the building
Speaker 1: pulls together. And yesterday was a perfect example of everybody
Speaker 1: in the building being excited, being you know, inspired by
Speaker 1: ran and ready for what's going to come in the future.
Speaker 1: What is your new GM's charge from the owner as
Speaker 1: he begins this job. I got a text from him
Speaker 1: after while he was still at the airport, and he
Speaker 1: was just he was so excited and he was just like,
Speaker 1: I just I can't wait to get back and start
Speaker 1: working on that that championship for you, miss Amy, and
Speaker 1: you know that. So if that's my mission to him,
Speaker 1: you know, I know there's going to be some difficult
Speaker 1: decisions that have to be made and you know, maybe
Speaker 1: some change we you know, I know they're going to evaluate,
Speaker 1: so I'm going to let them, you know, have their
Speaker 1: time to do that. But I think, you know, we're
Speaker 1: just gonna like be excited for the steps that come
Speaker 1: because I know down maybe next year and the year after,
Speaker 1: I'm not really sure, but I know we have a
Speaker 1: Lombardi Trophy in our in our future. I'm very very excited.
Speaker 1: All Right, one more thing, We're going back to London.
Speaker 1: We're gonna get to We're getting to play for the
Speaker 1: second time in London. Excited about that, getting to go
Speaker 1: to Tottenham and play at the Hotspur Stadium. How excited
Speaker 1: are you to go back? Well, I'm really excited because
Speaker 1: it's an honor to be picked us one of the
Speaker 1: home teams. And you know the last time we played,
Speaker 1: I went with the team and came back with the team.
Speaker 1: Well not next year. That was not smart on my part. Really,
Speaker 1: I want to go and have the whole experience and
Speaker 1: go the week and enjoy it because the fans over
Speaker 1: there are so they're they're just passionate and this is
Speaker 1: their opportunity to get to see NFL football, and you know,
Speaker 1: the growth that has happened since we were last there
Speaker 1: is incredible. Now they're in Germany and you know there's
Speaker 1: two stadiums in the UK we're playing in. It's really
Speaker 1: an honor. But I'm gonna go and I'm gonna just
Speaker 1: enjoy the whole thing. And I look forward to going
Speaker 1: to the next pub like I did the last time.
Speaker 1: In meeting fans, well, they're looking forward to seeing you. Hello.
Speaker 1: How as you're buying maybe Adams drunk like us excited
Speaker 1: about going to London. If you're interstudent tickets, go to
Speaker 1: NFL dot com slash International Game. I'm so excited about London,
Speaker 1: like kind of freaking out excited. Totton Hotspur, isn't it
Speaker 1: Tottenham Hotspur? I mean we've gone one other time and
Speaker 1: it was one of the top three coolest experiences of
Speaker 1: my professional career. I would agree. Tottenham Hotspur the only
Speaker 1: purpose built NFL stadium outside of the United States. That's
Speaker 1: where we will play. I'm so excited built to host
Speaker 1: an NFL team and I'm which Wimbley is not. Wimbley
Speaker 1: was nice and they've done a great soccer it's a pitch.
Speaker 1: It's a pitch. It's a soccer pitch. Football, it's a
Speaker 1: football pitch. Yeah, yes, it's a soccer field, soccer feed.
Speaker 1: I am so excited, though, I'm really like, I'm already
Speaker 1: making plans. Mike, I'm fired out. What about Amy? Adam
Speaker 1: Struck said she's going over for like the whole week,
Speaker 1: in the whole bit. I'm trying to get on that trip. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean, if there's one thing we know about Mike Rabel,
Speaker 1: he likes to keep it a efient. So I want
Speaker 1: if Amy staying longer, I want to be on her
Speaker 1: trip instead. Do you think the Titans will take their
Speaker 1: bye week immediately after? They are given the option? When
Speaker 1: you play in an international game, you were given the
Speaker 1: option of playing your bye week immediately after. Do you
Speaker 1: think they will? I think so. That's what the team
Speaker 1: did the last time we were there. I don't even
Speaker 1: remember what year that was, twenty eighteen. Yeah, in twenty
Speaker 1: eight team, that's what the Titans did. I really appreciated it.
Speaker 1: I think nobody cares about my vote, but you are
Speaker 1: turned around just enough that having a couple days on
Speaker 1: the back end to kind of get yourself re oriented.
Speaker 1: I think it is helpful. I think it will depend
Speaker 1: on how they maneuver the trip though, the logistics of
Speaker 1: it overall, because teams do it different ways. The Titans
Speaker 1: did it really quick in twenty eighteen. We were up,
Speaker 1: we were over, we played, we got right back on
Speaker 1: the plane when we came back home. It was a whirlwind.
Speaker 1: So having a week on the back end of that
Speaker 1: to recalibrate was awesome and I'm sure the team really
Speaker 1: needed it. If the Titans end up doing it for
Speaker 1: a longer period of time, some teams then won't take
Speaker 1: the bye week because they took more time on the
Speaker 1: front end to kind of get themselves adjusted. Because and
Speaker 1: I'm very susceptible to jet lag, like that's something when
Speaker 1: we play on the West Coast. I'm a little throne um.
Speaker 1: But it's a real difference. I mean, it's something you
Speaker 1: have to maneuver a little bit. You've got to navigate that.
Speaker 1: My understanding is Tottenham is aways from London, not meaning
Speaker 1: well outside of London, not like right next door. I
Speaker 1: could spend some time in the English countryside. This is
Speaker 1: like the holiday what the holiday with Cameron Diaz who
Speaker 1: and Kate Winslet. Well, I mean I know both of them,
Speaker 1: but good Law and Jack Black watch it every Christmas.
Speaker 1: They switch homes in la Ones in the English. Yes,
Speaker 1: it's a beautiful story. How far do we think it is?
Speaker 1: It's it's uh twenty three miles, but it's fifty three minutes.
Speaker 1: You gotta put that in kilometers though, we're going to kilometers. Yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 1: the old metric system over. I was in school when
Speaker 1: they tried to insert the metric system in the United
Speaker 1: States of America. Oh, that would never work. Well, they
Speaker 1: tried to make them work. We were going to switch, supposedly,
Speaker 1: and we never did. To Celsius, Oh yes, we learned
Speaker 1: all that in school. Nope, I can't do that. Introducing
Speaker 1: the new Duncan Rewards program. It works much better than
Speaker 1: the metric system. Download the app to join today, Start
Speaker 1: saving and stacking your way to the free Duncan that
Speaker 1: you love Duncan rewards, Save them, stack them, use them
Speaker 1: however you want. America runs on Duncan terms apply and
Speaker 1: the metric system does not apply. Can you take a
Speaker 1: train from wherever we are to London? You can generally
Speaker 1: take a train everywhere in Europe. I'm not phenomenal where
Speaker 1: they have us whipped. Yeah, the whole train thing. They
Speaker 1: have us whipped on that. I'll admit that. It's fantastic.
Speaker 1: Metric system not so much. No, the metric system is poor. Yes,
Speaker 1: it's just not it's it's not not fantastic. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: I guess we'll stay somewhere in London because a lot
Speaker 1: of the festivities will and that's what I'm so excited about.
Speaker 1: The festivities. I mean, yes, football is very important and
Speaker 1: we want to try to get Adam Strunk to buy
Speaker 1: everybody a beer a pint. I know, I tried that.
Speaker 1: That was good for a pint, isn't it a pint?
Speaker 1: Is that what you buy? Yeah? That was good. I
Speaker 1: like to see all of our fans. I do too.
Speaker 1: I mean, I just think it's great. Shout out to
Speaker 1: our fans, Shout out to the ot people who are European. Yeah,
Speaker 1: because we like to London country. We're very appreciative and
Speaker 1: come on down. We're just a little giddy today, Mike, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a little giddy. I want to play one more
Speaker 1: thing for you. I had a chance to interview Gene
Speaker 1: Huey and I'm a little giddy over this because gene
Speaker 1: Hughey was a sensational college football coach who finally left
Speaker 1: Ohio State in nineteen ninety one to go to the Colts.
Speaker 1: Ted Marcher bro to hire d and he was the
Speaker 1: Colts running back coach for the next nineteen years. Marshall
Speaker 1: fok Edgar and James Joseph had all of those guys. Well,
Speaker 1: I found him. I found him, and he was one
Speaker 1: of those coaches. Howard Mudd was there and Tom Moore
Speaker 1: was there, and they had this incredible coaching staff. But
Speaker 1: this is one of those legendary names that you know
Speaker 1: from one of the best franchises in the NFL of
Speaker 1: the time. Gene Huey was a big deal. He was
Speaker 1: while he played for the Colts, Ran Carthon's position coach Okay,
Speaker 1: And so I was interested. I wanted to know what
Speaker 1: he thought, knowing that he coached Ran as an NFL player,
Speaker 1: And he got back in touch with me in a
Speaker 1: hurry and he's like, I'd love to talk about him.
Speaker 1: So this is gene Huey. Gene Huey a forty year
Speaker 1: legend and dairy running back coach in the National Football League.
Speaker 1: Coach Ran Carthon for three seasons when he played with
Speaker 1: the Indianapolis Colts. Let's hear some of his thoughts as
Speaker 1: he also coached Maurice Carthon the Dad. Yeah, how about
Speaker 1: that both of them? Here's here's that on the OTP coach.
Speaker 1: I want you to talk to me about how it
Speaker 1: felt for you when you heard the news that one
Speaker 1: of your former players, Ran Carthon was named the general
Speaker 1: manager of the Tennessee Titans. You know, it's funny because initially,
Speaker 1: when I woke up and I saw that in the
Speaker 1: print or on my phone in the news, my mindset
Speaker 1: went right to Maurice the Dad, because I've coached them both,
Speaker 1: and I think, Okay, Maurice is gonna work with Tennessee.
Speaker 1: And then I know it's not. It's Ran, you know.
Speaker 1: But I was so excited and really pleased that tennis
Speaker 1: See interviewed through their process and the decided to hire
Speaker 1: this young man as their general manager. It's fantastic. It's
Speaker 1: a fantastic hire. No one from his past is surprised,
Speaker 1: no one. Why is that? Ran? To me was always
Speaker 1: a guy that that warm, inviting, embracing smile, was a
Speaker 1: very engaging person. You know, as a player, and curtly
Speaker 1: in his profession as the pro personnel player personnel positions
Speaker 1: he's held with several teams in the league, but he
Speaker 1: has always been on point of what it was that
Speaker 1: their duties called them to do and perform, and how
Speaker 1: to do that in a way that you're always enhancing
Speaker 1: people's lives and professions. And that's the way he's always
Speaker 1: been as a player and as a person. And I've
Speaker 1: always had a great deal of respect and admiration for
Speaker 1: how he's carried himself, conducted himself and what he brings
Speaker 1: to the table and professional pursuits. Coach, when you were
Speaker 1: his position coach with the Colts, you were an awfully
Speaker 1: good football team, especially on offense. For a guy like
Speaker 1: him to be able to fight his way on to
Speaker 1: your roster multiple times, what did it say about his
Speaker 1: love for the game. Well, you know, I've always looked
Speaker 1: at people like that in his position is people ask me, well,
Speaker 1: who was the best player between Marshall Falk and Edrin James,
Speaker 1: who I also had the pleasure and privilege of coaching here.
Speaker 1: I never try to make those comparisons. I'd always say,
Speaker 1: whoever that one eleventh guy was on that field in
Speaker 1: that position running back then he was the best player.
Speaker 1: Because you had to look at it that way. There
Speaker 1: might be difference of things and talents, certainly, because that's
Speaker 1: where that hierarchy goes. But yet if you're out there
Speaker 1: and want to eleven with that offensive unit, you'd better
Speaker 1: be performing. I don't care who you are or what
Speaker 1: you are. I don't look at it that way. And
Speaker 1: he was one of those kinds of guys as long,
Speaker 1: same thing with his father, that perform and did and
Speaker 1: gave you the best day to give you with their abilities.
Speaker 1: All right, So let's talk about Mocarthon for a moment.
Speaker 1: I actually go back. I remember him in all three
Speaker 1: USFL seasons with the Generals, probably one of the few
Speaker 1: Mocarthon to me when he went to the Giants, and
Speaker 1: when he finished his career actually with you guys with
Speaker 1: the colds. He was about toughness. Yes, his son got
Speaker 1: a bunch of that. I'm guessing too, certainly. I mean
Speaker 1: that DNA and I sent Ran a text the other
Speaker 1: day and I just expressed that in the text, and
Speaker 1: I said, you know, you come from good DNA, not
Speaker 1: only from your parents, but previous generations in that family,
Speaker 1: and you can sense that and see it, and they
Speaker 1: are about business. And that's what I liked about his dad.
Speaker 1: And dad was a tough full back. We were in
Speaker 1: a two back offense in ninety two when he was
Speaker 1: here with us at the Colts, and he had some
Speaker 1: great experiences playing USFL, certainly sitting in front of herschel
Speaker 1: there in a two back set, then parcels having there
Speaker 1: at the Giant, and then he comes to us in
Speaker 1: ninety two and I had just had arrived here from
Speaker 1: the Ohio state where I was coaching, and there was
Speaker 1: a pleasure to have that kind of a veteran playing
Speaker 1: in that position. He was a full grown man, and
Speaker 1: then an outstanding job for us, And that's certainly transferred
Speaker 1: onto his son and that work ethic which is so
Speaker 1: critical and so important to have it to coach here.
Speaker 1: He certainly stars go on to become good coaches and
Speaker 1: good personnel Ben, but in most cases the best coaches
Speaker 1: in personnel men are guys who weren't necessarily the stars.
Speaker 1: And Ran Carthon was not a star in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Why do you think that type of guy and the
Speaker 1: type of guy that the Titans have just come across
Speaker 1: and have just hired as their general manager. Uses that
Speaker 1: experience so well in his evaluation and his relationship process.
Speaker 1: You know, I was reading back and looking at Ozzie Newsom,
Speaker 1: who we all know about in his career and certainly
Speaker 1: that in the college and then plan Cleveland and then
Speaker 1: being there with Baltimore as their general manager was a
Speaker 1: great evaluator of talent. And you don't have to have
Speaker 1: a lot of titles to be able to do that.
Speaker 1: I don't believe. Certainly it helps, Yes, understandable because that says, hey,
Speaker 1: I've had I've had a lengthy career here and resumes
Speaker 1: long and all that. But he's been around football people
Speaker 1: through his father, through his own play at University of
Speaker 1: Florida's dad was Arkansas State down there with Larry Lacewell,
Speaker 1: and Rand was there with Spurrier and Ron Zook who
Speaker 1: I coached with at Ohio State. So he's been around
Speaker 1: football people. He has a good keen sense of what
Speaker 1: talent is there and how to implement and get those
Speaker 1: pieces into place that will further help whatever organization he's
Speaker 1: working with. If you had advice for Ran Carthon walking
Speaker 1: into this building and starting this job. Knowing what you
Speaker 1: know about the National Football League and the game of football,
Speaker 1: what would be the one piece of advice you would
Speaker 1: give made true to yourself and what your direction is
Speaker 1: in your pursuits and those goals and objectives, and don't
Speaker 1: listen too much to the outside chattering noise. And I
Speaker 1: use that as my own example. Is this and I
Speaker 1: have to to some degree my own foundation of growing
Speaker 1: up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where Ernie Davis and Sandy Stevens,
Speaker 1: who were one and four in the Heisman vote getting,
Speaker 1: were both out of my hometown of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and
Speaker 1: Tony dun Having told me one time that the reason
Speaker 1: why m with the University of Minnesota because of Sandy Stephens.
Speaker 1: We went to the Super Bowl in two thousand and six.
Speaker 1: I have two running backs, Dominic Roads and Joseph Hadai,
Speaker 1: who came out of LSU as a number one picked force,
Speaker 1: and I took them both aside and I said, hey,
Speaker 1: I'm going to start Dominic because he replaced edgund James
Speaker 1: and ten ball games together over a thousand yards. Now
Speaker 1: there are some raised eyebrows. I didn't ask anybody, and
Speaker 1: I'm not touting myself for patting myself on the back
Speaker 1: about this. But there are lessons you learned in your
Speaker 1: own profession. Stick to it, stay true to yourself and
Speaker 1: your convictions. Although you're going to hear the sirens outside
Speaker 1: all of that. Then that's my bit of advice, stay
Speaker 1: true to yourself and stay steadfast and at and I
Speaker 1: saw people like Bill Polly and who was a president here.
Speaker 1: So that's my advice, that little bit, stay true to
Speaker 1: yourself and your convictions and what got you to where
Speaker 1: you are. And I think things will work out best
Speaker 1: for Tennessee and certainly for him too. In the profession
Speaker 1: and coach, it feels like although you know Ran Carthon,
Speaker 1: I don't, but that's what he's done to get to
Speaker 1: this point. Yes, like I said, he's all, you know,
Speaker 1: a warm, engaging personality about him, but he's on point
Speaker 1: and he's always surveying the field. He doesn't have tunnel vision,
Speaker 1: so he's a person that thinks ahead of what it
Speaker 1: is he has to get done and accomplished and gets
Speaker 1: the right people around him to do So that's beautiful, coach,
Speaker 1: thank you, you bet you my pleasure. We're excited about him.
Speaker 1: I can tell you that I am too. I was
Speaker 1: so thrilled. And I have to state this, there are
Speaker 1: eight or nine persons of color in those positions in
Speaker 1: this league, and they're Americans, and I'll just leave that
Speaker 1: that they are Americans first, and I don't like the
Speaker 1: other stuff that precedes and marginalizes people as to black
Speaker 1: this black bat, this is an American mail along with
Speaker 1: some other people in this league who've contributed in various
Speaker 1: ways and fashions, and now given the opportunity to be
Speaker 1: a part of your organization Downer in Tennessee and demonstrate
Speaker 1: his talented abilities and skills and working with people and
Speaker 1: getting the right talent in there to make it more competitive. Well,
Speaker 1: the reaction of our fan base too, is very special,
Speaker 1: very special to me that they're just saying, man, this
Speaker 1: is the right guy for the job. Let's go. Yes,
Speaker 1: that's a good thing. I agree, Thank you so much, coach.
Speaker 1: I love talking to old coaches. Yeah, there's just something special. Well,
Speaker 1: I mean you just hear the they just get it.
Speaker 1: And m coach, who he's probably seventy five now, sure
Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like it. I mean he is really
Speaker 1: really really still with it and uh and still got
Speaker 1: all the goods on all of his players and has
Speaker 1: a lot of great memories and fun to talk to him,
Speaker 1: and just so many people proud of Ran Carthon. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and there was a contingent of family and friends. Uh Osiola,
Speaker 1: Arkansas where he is from. Um. Mississippi County, Arkansas is
Speaker 1: fifty five miles northwest of Memphis. Okay, right, so it's
Speaker 1: not it's not West Memphis, Arkansas, but it's close. West Memphis,
Speaker 1: Arkansas is basically just the western part of Memphis across
Speaker 1: the Mississippi River. Exactly. How's it it sounds? Yeah? But um,
Speaker 1: you know, just a lot of proud folks and another
Speaker 1: sec guy in here, and just the continuing overall excitement
Speaker 1: that people have for this higher and just kind of
Speaker 1: a cool day, a cool two days at Ascension Saint
Speaker 1: Thomas Sports Park. Absolutely, it's it's an exciting time. It
Speaker 1: feels like a fresh chapter. It feels like there are
Speaker 1: good things to come for this organization. Um. Really fired up. Um,
Speaker 1: I can't we wait to dive in deeper, you know,
Speaker 1: to really get to work and start to learn more
Speaker 1: about him, his style, how everything goes. And I'm willing
Speaker 1: to put up with a little bit more Florida in
Speaker 1: my life. Sorry, I know, I know, well, It'll be fine.
Speaker 1: I can. We will muscle through all of it. We
Speaker 1: will push through, no doubt about it. For Amy Wells,
Speaker 1: I'm Mike Keith, thanking you for listening to the ode
Speaker 1: Teking Welcomes of the Big ever Gotten knows it's our
Speaker 1: house finding thoughts, ennessy making history. Greatness is meant to
Speaker 1: be