WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 62: Thank You Mick Mixon 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 It's time for The Happy Half Hour with your friends 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:23.040 Christine Balboni, Will Bryant and Darren Gaham. Welcome to a 0:00:23.239 --> 0:00:27.280 special Week eighteen edition of The Happy Half Hour. That's 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.800 the first time that's ever been said in the studio 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.800 or anywhere. What do we think about Week eighteen in 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:35.600 the NFL? What do you think Eighteen weeks is a 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:39.760 lot of weeks of football. It's uh yeah, and when 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.080 it's going the way this one's gone, it feels like 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.120 you're kind of crawling to the end of a marathon. 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:46.720 You're that guy who's sort of knee walk into the 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.839 finish line trying to get across. But you know, in 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:52.640 a lot of precincts, people are very excited about Week 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.000 eight teen. I don't know. I think personally, if you're 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:58.320 going to play seventeen games or even more in the future, 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:00.920 because it's the NFL and Moore's always on the docket, 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:02.720 you know, we all have spread this saying out a 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:04.720 little bit. I think if there was another bye week 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.440 built in to the system, if you're gonna play seventeen 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:11.760 scattering extra buy in there. Um. I know some television 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:14.680 partners are wary about watering down the content, but based 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:18.400 on the offensive content. I saw Sunday in New Orleans 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:20.920 and then again Monday night on my television with the 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.800 Manning Brothers as the Browns and Steelers, Pillow fought to 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.800 the end. Um it's uh yeah, and I think everybody 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:31.640 could use a little extra space. One thing you learn 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:35.040 in athletics is let's not cloud the issue with facts. 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.720 So Thursday night football maybe bad football. It may be, 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:45.000 it may be corrosive into player health. But yet as 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:47.200 we all know that it is the money, you follow 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:49.880 the dollars. I've always looked at it, Darren and Will 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:51.840 in terms of I mean, I know we keep score. 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:54.040 We stopped keeping score at the preseason, and we start 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:55.920 when the regular season begins, but I've always looked at 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:58.559 it as a twenty game season before preseason game sixteen 0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:00.640 regular season, then you hope you play more. So I 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.120 hadn't had a problem with taking one pre away and 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:05.520 one adding one regular season game. To me, that's a 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.560 pretty good deal to do. We still got to do 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:10.120 our depth charts, we still get interviews, we still prepare 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.000 to do these broadcasts. But I think Darren makes a 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:14.960 great point, as you would expect since he is after 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:20.080 all noted uh sage, old guy and veteran corresponding in words, 0:02:20.120 --> 0:02:23.239 Smith Darren Ghant expand the right if you really want, 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:25.520 if you get when we get serious about player safety, 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:30.160 expand the rosters and and then build two by weeks 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:34.400 in and creep a little bit into who's gonna get upset? 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:36.960 The bowl games? Do we college basketball? Do we creep 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.960 backwards or forwards? Do we creep back into August or 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:44.800 more into February. I think the league's long time dream. 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.440 You know, one of those you hear Roger Goodell. You know, 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:50.360 people say his goal is twenty five billion dollars in 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.720 revenue or whatever it happens to be. But one of 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.600 the goals I've always believed for the NFL is President's 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.359 Day weekend super Bowl. So everybody's got Monday off to 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:01.320 talk about it and it and just occupy the national 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:05.200 consciousness for one more week and one more day. Um. 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:07.839 But yeah, I think we're pushing towards that anyway. I mean, 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:11.400 we're creeping into that mid February timeline for Super bowls 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.720 now and um, I realized that this year it's a 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.960 February super Bowl, so we don't even have to make 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.120 Valentine's Day plans. Just invite the girl to the super 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:23.919 Bowl party and call it even. See, here's this party 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:25.480 for you. You know it's a day early. You know 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.240 we'll keep it going into midnight. Here about in your 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.400 life where that's no longer gonna work. Guys like Podcast 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.160 Matt who used to invite their girls to his rotisserie 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:36.600 league a draft for their first day. Now he can 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.440 just just do a full on Super Bowl party. But 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:41.440 you know, if if the NFL is gonna play games 0:03:41.480 --> 0:03:44.839 in Europe Mexico, these are gonna be longer flights, more 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.160 of a travel nut to turn. So it makes sense 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:49.720 to me just expand the roster, spread the contact out 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:52.800 over a larger group of players, and then build that 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.400 extra by weekend. Over the course of this year, um 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.720 obviously more weeks, so more stories. We've had more players 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.120 who have been some of your favorite players, player favorite moments, 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:05.800 favorite stories to cover over the course of the season. 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:09.200 You know, I I think one of the really uh, 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.480 kind of off the beaten path guys who I didn't 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:14.800 know quite what to expect from the day he walked 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.440 into the door to every Sunday you see and play 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:20.840 was Frankie Luvu. Uh, Frankie Luvu was signed and he 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:24.920 was just a spare part depth guy, special teams Jets linebacker. 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:27.760 The Jets didn't want him, so he rolls in here 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.120 for a minimum wage deal and I go downstairs to 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:33.120 meet him the day he signed, and Frankie somebody warned me. 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.040 They were like, I don't know, Frankie's got all that 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:38.279 much to say. And so I walk in and and 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.279 Frankie is kind of downcast. He is soft spoken guy, 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:43.840 kind of quiet, and uh. And I noticed he's wearing 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.320 a big button on his shirt with a picture of 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:48.920 what appears to be a relative, and so I asked 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:50.919 him about it, and as it turns out, it was 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:53.359 his brother who had just passed away. And I was like, 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.839 you know, here, I walked downstairs to write a quick 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:58.720 story about a guy who's going to be a special 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:00.680 teamer and run down some kid X and maybe be 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:03.200 a backup linebacker, and all of a sudden, you get 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.600 Frankie Luvu's tale of heartbreak about his brother Frasier. And 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.479 Frankie has really been one of the bright spots on 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:12.120 this team. And share I mean beyond the stars, I 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:16.440 mean beyond Dj Moore, beyond Brian Burns, Hassan Reddick, guys 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:19.200 like that, you know, the Frankie Luvu's of the world 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:21.520 or what makes the NFL go round, and and the 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:24.880 kind of energy he brings to his job. You know, 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:27.560 he is always out there and you saw him Sunday. 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:30.640 I mean, he just he makes plays at key times 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:32.920 and I don't know, you know, people always love him 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:34.800 and I and I fear that if you ever got 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.280 too much Frankie Luvu in a game, it would dilute 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.760 the intensity of what you get when he's out there. 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.479 But man, that guy brings energy to whatever he does. 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:46.400 He runs down punts, he plays defense. Basically, he's the 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.440 defensive Brandon Zilstra. He'll do whatever it is you need 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.560 him to do, and do it at a pretty high 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:54.160 level of energy. Matt Rule has said about Frankie Luvu, 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:56.120 he plays the game the way is meant to be played. 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.280 It has crossed my mind that what we really need 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:00.640 around here's some guys who play game the way it 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.479 wasn't meant to be played. But I get the you know, 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:06.080 I get the reference and it is the ultimate compliment 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:09.400 from from coach to Frankie Luvue worker and and and 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:11.919 a big personality if you can get him to trust 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.760 in the the process of an interview, like like Darren 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.960 has done. I got just two real short ones. One 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.480 is Zenegn Zalice. When we signed Zenegn Zalie May, I 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:23.120 was talking to him on the practice field and we 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:25.320 have no access, So it just happened to be after 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.839 practice that I was allowed to be down there and 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:32.080 and and in that soupy undertow the foamy Bryan of 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:35.400 players going this direction. In that direction, I start talking 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.039 to Zane Gonzalice. I asked him about end up, asking 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.840 about how he was parented, and he mentioned growing up 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.159 in Texas that he and his mom were not close. 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.120 His mom had some substance abuse problems throughout much of 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:50.040 his young adulthood and adolescence and childhood. And then she 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:54.640 was able to get those uh bracketed and and corralled 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:57.080 and the boundaries around those and the two have reconnected. 0:06:57.120 --> 0:06:59.239 I just thought that was kind of a cool human story, 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:02.200 was AGNs was. The other one is a mere Abdullah 0:07:02.360 --> 0:07:06.840 talking to Amir Abdullah. I'm not a broadcaster that assigns nicknames. 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.840 You know, the Chris bermanization of of our industry. But 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.800 if I, if I was going to do that, a 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.640 mirror would be something like the governor or the mayor, 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:23.200 because he has got that thing, that confidence, that communication skill, 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:27.800 that ability. In fact, he's almost he stands almost uncomfortably 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.480 close to you when you're interviewing him. Have you experienced this, Darren? 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:34.760 He just gets right, you know, Mick, thanks for having 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:37.160 me on your show. And and he just he doesn't 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:41.200 just as Darren says, he doesn't just say words. Uh. 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:43.840 He's he has thoughts and their cogent and they have 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:46.040 a beginning of middle and an end. He grew up 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:48.880 in Georgia, played at Nebraska, the only big school that 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.680 really recruited him. So he drove a nineteen Ford Mustang 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:57.800 to Nebraska, nineteen hour drive. It broke down in St. Louis. 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:59.360 I just love I love stories like that, if you 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:00.840 can get a player to tell you a little bit 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:02.640 about their life and how they got here and what 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:05.520 makes them scared and what makes them happy and what 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:08.480 motivates them. So those are a couple of my favorites. 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.400 I like Dai Kwan Jones a lot. He's a guy 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.760 that when he speaks to the media Darren. Darren has 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.200 asked him this a couple of times of his experience 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:19.880 in Tennessee and what he's learned from being a part 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:21.800 of that culture and what he's brought here. But I 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:24.640 feel like he's a guy that quietly, you know, while 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:27.520 Reddick was very much kind of like the face of 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.360 that defensive line along with Burns and then obviously have 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.240 Derek Brown, but I feel like Da Kuan was someone 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.400 that could speak for them as well, um, and had 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:39.160 some big moments at times. I think probably fans would 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.000 have maybe wanted a little bit more production out of 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:43.200 him at at different times. But I liked him a 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:46.480 lot in terms of what he also brought, uh kind 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.480 of to the veterans of that defensive side. Um, as 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:53.280 we move forward, obviously a little programming note next week, Darren, 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.520 Now we're back, we'll talk about free agents and draft 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.480 and all of the nuts and bolts of the next 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:03.360 five of My king. So we're not gonna do that now. UM, 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:05.800 what are but what are some things looking back that 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:08.599 you can take with you into these next months. What 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:10.520 are the things you feel that you can build upon, take, 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.720 you know, to to use moving forward. I mean there 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:17.679 are individual pieces on this football team that any football 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.800 team in the NFL would want. I mean, there are guys. 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.480 DJ Moore is kind of lost in the morass of 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.720 this offense right now. But DJ Moore is a brilliant 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.959 wide receiver. I don't think he's just very good. I 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:35.880 think he's great. I think in the right setting, he 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:38.920 has the opportunity to be a major star in the NFL. 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.199 I mean, if you look back, you know, I got 0:09:41.240 --> 0:09:43.920 in this conversation yesterday in the mail bag about Steve 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:47.320 Smith comparing him to guys like Reggie Wayne or whatever. 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:50.000 Could you imagine the numbers eighty nine would have put 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:52.640 up if he got to play with Peyton Manning and 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:56.720 d J Moore had competent quarterback play around him. Imagine 0:09:56.760 --> 0:09:59.520 what that guy could do. Because he's tough, he's he's 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:03.600 grace fowl, he's got good hands. Um. You go back 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:06.240 to the early part of this season, when the offense 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.640 was offensing at a high level, or at least a 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:13.520 reasonably capable level, DJ was the reason it was moving. 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.560 I mean, and and he's not just making plays downfield. 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:19.920 That section of the Dallas game where he's getting downfield 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.719 blocking on big run plays and stuff like that. I mean, 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.320 that's kind of who that guy is. And he's one 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.600 of those guys going into the offseason it's like, all right, 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:31.120 you you got one of those. You don't have to 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:35.080 worry about that, and you know eventually he'll have to 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:39.840 get paid. Um, they're they've got guys like Jeremy chen I. 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:42.600 I think Derek Brown still a guy who's got a 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.880 lot of ability. Um, you know, obviously burns and we'll 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.440 see how some of the other stuff goes. But you know, 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:51.520 j C. Horns another one of those guys. We saw 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:55.359 him for a very brief time during August and September 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:57.800 before he got hurt in that game in Houston. That 0:10:57.960 --> 0:10:59.600 was just kind of the bell weather for the rest 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.040 of the Sea. Reason that was, you know, you won 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:07.520 that day. But um, but the games we saw of j. C. Horne, 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:10.160 it's like, whoa, that's what one's supposed to look like 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:12.880 right there. He knows how to do this thing. And 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.160 so there are a bunch of free agents and we 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:17.160 don't know what all the other parts are gonna look 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:20.719 like around him. But the idea of starting a secondary 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.160 going into two with Jeremy chen and j C. Horne 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.480 in the back of it. It's a pretty decent place 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.200 to start. Proud of you for mentioning j. C. Horn 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:31.400 is glad you did so easy to be forgotten about 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.679 when you get hurt, and especially with people looking in 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:36.520 the rear view mirror saying, oh my gosh. You know, 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:38.800 you could have had Mac Jones, You could have had 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.319 justin Fields, you could have had Liamba being green from 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:43.600 out of Texas or what you know, whoever, just put 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:47.080 your player in here. But J. C. Horne is not 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:50.480 his fault. He got hurt at Houston and he is 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.640 gonna be a handful in the back. So I think 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.320 I think that's a good, good pull by you, Darren. 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:59.920 I think Brady Christensen might have turned a corner into Orleans. 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.440 I saw him battle pretty hard. Really hadn't seen a 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:05.240 lot of suddenness from him for a player that has 0:12:05.280 --> 0:12:09.560 all these measurables, and it was fantastic in terms of 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.400 his combine. I think it was a ten for uh 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.480 long jump or no broad jump. And he was mad 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.319 because he thought he'd got cheated out of two inches 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:24.120 four six forty pounds. That's unheard of, but yet in 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:27.800 that that short area, quickness that small space quickness. I 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:31.800 just saw him fight pretty good against US State. Didn't 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:34.520 win every time, but I thought that was a big moment. 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:37.400 And I don't know. I mean, I think that so 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:41.559 many issues confront this team that I cannot wait to 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.560 see how it shakes out. What do you do? Who 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.400 coordinates your offense? Is that? Is it Jeff Nixon? Or 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:50.040 do you are you now shopping for an offensive coordinator? 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.480 If so, what kind of offense do you want to run? 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:54.680 Do you do you hire a coordinator to fit the 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:57.360 stated goal of being a run to pass football team, 0:12:57.640 --> 0:12:59.960 or do you go get a coordinator to say, here, here, 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.240 here's our You tell us what we should be. You 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:04.280 look at our personnel, then you tell us what we 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:06.800 should do. How many more years for j J. Jansen? 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.440 Will you need a snapper? What about a punder? I 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:11.280 think all of this thought Joe Charlton was gonna be 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:13.440 the pot, thought Joe Charlton would be the punter here 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:17.040 for uh the next ten years? Of course, offensive line. 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:23.160 But there's this guy. There's this guy's name, Christian McCaffrey CMC. 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:29.040 There's no reason to believe that his injury history is chronic. 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:33.680 He could come back and be the player that he 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:36.640 has been. So I think that I think he'll be 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:38.840 a big building block. And people are friends of mine 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:40.560 are saying, you know, what could you get from McCaffrey said, 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:45.040 that's asinine. Just because this this miserati needs a tune 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:48.640 up doesn't mean you should trade it for a Nissan ultimont. 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.839 You were about to go for the Toyota. Cameras slaying 0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:57.480 it again. I could only sing the song of the camera. 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:02.839 I want to change, uh, change roads here a little bit, 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:05.320 golf on and off ramp just a second. People ask 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.080 me a lot um are they more just kind of 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:09.960 say to me when I say I worked for the Panthers, like, 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:12.199 oh my gosh, that must be the greatest thing in 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:14.360 the world. You know, must be a dream job. And 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:16.800 I think it is in a way, but not in 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:20.640 the way that people think. Um so much of I think, 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.360 what is its been awesome to me over the last 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.680 several years, I mean, and especially the last two years 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:27.680 in in COVID was being able to walk in that 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:29.800 room over there. And for people that don't know, these 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.880 two that I'm looking at right now, Darren and Mick 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:35.760 sit right next to each other. Uh, and right outside 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.440 the door of Bill, both Panthers Bill. In that room, 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:44.440 there's years and years and years and years of stories 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:49.320 of Panther knowledge of just experiences in this world. And 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:51.600 I kind of get to be this, as Darren called 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.520 a young but not quite a young in his mind, 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.080 you know that I'm I'm the oldest of the young. 0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:00.080 So I get to kind of be this bridge of 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.000 understanding a little bit where the young people are coming from, 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:05.920 but also being able to connect to these guys. And 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:09.840 for me, that's that's been such a special experience to 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.680 be a part of this organization, to be around people 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.800 like Darren and Mick, and I think it also is 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.720 for a lot of others too, and I want them 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:23.080 to be able to say that. I love doing broadcast 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.160 with Nick. He makes it so easy from one transition 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:28.960 to the next, it's like seamless. But I love his 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.440 intro every single week. You know, if it's a one 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.080 o'clock game at twelve fifty, when we put the headsets 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:37.200 on and we're going on air for the duration, he 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.520 welcomes the Panther crowd and he just starts to describe 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.600 the week, who we're playing, what it's like a franchise 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:48.000 record sixteen wins have brought the Carolina Panthers to the 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:52.160 doorstep of Super Bowl fifty. All season long, the Panthers 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:55.280 have co mingled the bloodthirsty stare of a top predator 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:59.120 with a childlike passion for the game and for one another. 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:03.040 That boid. That excitement is contagious, and our little big 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:06.400 town is on fire with it. So tonight, welcome to 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:09.120 the most important game in the history of Bank of 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:15.200 America Stadium. Welcome to the NFC Championship Game, Arizona at Carolina. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.280 Are you ready ready? Can you feel it? It's a 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:22.200 pepperable old My goodness, let's bring it home. I'm gonna 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:24.040 miss that. I don't think there's any doubt I'm gonna 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:25.960 miss that. Trem me in this week when I sit 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.680 next to Mick, I think these are the good old days, 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:30.320 you know what I mean? Like things are moving in 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:34.160 a different direction with streaming and the tension span of 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:38.880 the audience and who knows where radio broadcast will eventually evolve. 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:44.280 To Mick Mixon is a piece of broadcasting history and 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:47.640 his ability to paint the picture and tell the story 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:51.200 and the detail that he just throws out you know, 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:55.200 the towel fluttering in a light southeastern breeze of five 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:57.840 miles and he'll say that like right before the staff. 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.720 You're like, I'll be damn it. You know, hey, Mack 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:06.320 max Henson here otherwise known to you is Maximilian Jay Henson. 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.840 But I think about Nick Mixon like anybody. You think 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:12.480 about the comically large clothing and those trademarks sneakers, uh, 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:15.639 And you also think about the humility and the humor 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:18.560 that was always on display. Mick just has an incredible 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:20.919 ability to weave a story. I always just had a 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:24.400 tremendous amount of respect for that, and really a tremendous 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.280 amount of respect for the way, Mick, you were such 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:30.480 a steward of this organization. I really just wish you 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:34.000 all the best, nothing but the best, and really congrats 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.040 on a job well done. Mick. We're gonna miss your voice. 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:40.159 Your voice of the Carolina Panthers has been legendary. It 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.960 has moved so many people and provided so much entertainment 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:46.560 and entertainment for so many people here in the Caroliners. 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.760 I enjoyed what working with you, Mick, learning from you, 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:52.359 learning that even half a house needs a full show, 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:55.320 Learning to be prepared at all times, learning to ask 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:59.439 questions and how to ask questions so that you elicit responses. 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.560 I apply alud you. You are absolutely incredible. I wish 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.680 you the best as you move on from the Carolina Panthers. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.160 Maybe you've tinkering in your garage, or maybe you back 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:10.560 to playing drums and whatever it is, I wish you 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:14.560 so much success. My friend, Nick. This is Caroline can Fraser, 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:17.800 and I just want to say congratulations on a truly 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:22.000 historic career. You have been so good at your job 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:26.440 for so many years. And I don't say so many 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:29.280 years to make you feel old. I say that because 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:33.520 what you have accomplished as a broadcaster is legendary. You 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.960 gave us fans so many memories through your gift of 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.600 communication and storytelling. But what I want to celebrate and 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:44.160 make sure that everyone knows about your career are all 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:47.919 the moments that you created off air. I'll never forget 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:50.040 passing you in the hallway when you were on your 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:53.160 way out to a speaking engagement where you never once 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.960 accepted a fee because you truly enjoyed getting to know 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.520 the Panther community. But even more personally, to me, what 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:04.280 I love about your career is that you spent time 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:06.600 getting to know those that you worked with. I know 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:10.159 that our time together in Carolina was short, but you 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:13.400 truly changed my life. Mick. You listened to me and 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:18.200 poured wisdom into my career and my personal life. Congratulations 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.520 on an incredible career, Mick, and enjoy the farm with 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:25.840 your bride. Byron Putland, studio producer for the Carolina Panthers 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:28.560 Radio network. Since Mick joined the Panthers, it has been 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:31.280 an absolute pleasure of getting to know him and his family, 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:33.480 and I would like to do nothing more than to 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:38.359 wish Mike a very, very healthy, happy and relaxed retirement. 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:40.520 And I look forward to the book that I am 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.120 hoping he will pin to give us all the great 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.680 stories he's told us over the years, as well as 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:47.439 the ones that we do not know about it at 0:19:47.440 --> 0:19:50.840 this time. So Mick, God Bless, will definitely miss you. 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:56.000 Enjoy your time. Forrest Orian Mixon the Third. I grew 0:19:56.080 --> 0:19:59.320 up at listening to him on the radio, you know, 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:02.800 being a tar Hill fan. There was no better broadcast 0:20:02.880 --> 0:20:06.760 than a Woody and Nick broadcast, and just his voice 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:10.760 is synonymous with so many happy memories for me and 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:13.359 my dad would always listen to the games together. And 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.720 then I moved away and became a broadcaster after going 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:19.320 to un C Chapel Hill, and someone put me in 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:21.439 touch with him, and I asked him to watch my 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:25.639 real and he wrote back the most thoughtful email and 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:28.560 gave me some some great pointers and complimented me on 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.439 certain things, and it meant so much. It was so 0:20:31.520 --> 0:20:35.879 personal and um so constructive and just so kind. I 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.840 have learned just an incredible amount from him, and I 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:41.960 enjoy listening to him. One of my favorite things is 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:43.679 being on the broadcast because I get to listen to 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:46.119 him the entire time. But I just I think the 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:48.919 world of him, and I still pinched myself that I 0:20:48.960 --> 0:20:54.040