Speaker 1: The Season with Peter Schrager is a production of the
Speaker 1: NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. What's Up, Everybody, Welcome to
Speaker 1: the Season with Peter Schrager. Training camps are here, all
Speaker 1: thirty two teams reporting.
Speaker 2: We've got actual football going on. And as I.
Speaker 1: Record this in Hot Balmy, New York City, Saquon Barkley
Speaker 1: will not miss a single practice of training camp because
Speaker 1: he is already there in East Rutherford signing a very rare,
Speaker 1: very interesting, one year deal despite being put on the
Speaker 1: franchise tag. I didn't even I gotta put my hand
Speaker 1: up here. I'm on Live TV when it happened. I
Speaker 1: didn't know it was even a possibility they could do that.
Speaker 1: When my co host Jamie rdaul is like, we got
Speaker 1: breaking news, Saquon's agree.
Speaker 2: To terms, I'm like a cree to terms to what
Speaker 2: I thought.
Speaker 1: It was just you can play on the franchise tag
Speaker 1: or you can sit out the season. Turns out there
Speaker 1: is a loophole and the Giants and Joe Shane found
Speaker 1: that loophole where it's a one year deal, and there's
Speaker 1: been a lot of confusion on the incentives on how.
Speaker 2: It all works.
Speaker 1: But from my understanding right now, he has to hit
Speaker 1: three different numbers tied to playoffs to hit these incentives
Speaker 1: so that he can make some sort of incentive of
Speaker 1: about three hundred thousand dollars each for the three incentives.
Speaker 1: So from what I'm gathering, and again this is in
Speaker 1: real time, if he has thirteen fifty rushing yards soud
Speaker 1: three and fifty rushing yards and they make the playoffs,
Speaker 1: he gets an extra three hundred K. If he has
Speaker 1: sixty five catches and they make the playoffs, he gets
Speaker 1: an extra three hundred K. And if he's eleven total
Speaker 1: touchdowns and the playoffs, he gets an extra three hundred K.
Speaker 2: So when it's all.
Speaker 1: Set and done for you number guys out there in Gals,
Speaker 1: Saquon has a deal with the Giants that'll be worth
Speaker 1: ten point one million guaranteed. He gets two million right
Speaker 1: up front, and then there's those incentives and get if
Speaker 1: they make the playoffs and he hits those things, so
Speaker 1: he could actually make more than what was the ten
Speaker 1: million dollar on the franchise tag that he would have
Speaker 1: played under.
Speaker 2: It's look, it's a.
Speaker 1: Couple things, and we've talked about a lot about the
Speaker 1: running back position here on this podcast. But it's not
Speaker 1: great for the position and it's not great for Saquon.
Speaker 1: But he does get to play for the New York Giants,
Speaker 1: he does get to be there at training camp, and
Speaker 1: he does ideally get to hit free agency again next year.
Speaker 1: Now they do have the right to franchise tag him again,
Speaker 1: which they might do, but at this point, he had
Speaker 1: no other options than this or just not play and
Speaker 1: not show up. And I think there's something real to
Speaker 1: Saquon and it's me coming from a very maybe Pollyanna place.
Speaker 1: Like he loves being a New York Giant. He loves
Speaker 1: seeing that every kid's wearing his jersey. He loves that
Speaker 1: he is a hero to all of these fans and
Speaker 1: is so beloved by the Giants faithful that, Like, I.
Speaker 2: Don't think he wanted to miss anything.
Speaker 1: And so at the end of the day, yeah, we
Speaker 1: can go back and say he should have accepted a
Speaker 1: contract that was offered you know that y'uring the bye
Speaker 1: week that would have paid him more. Great, he would
Speaker 1: have made a couple more million dollars.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he would.
Speaker 1: Have been better off if he accepted their initial free
Speaker 1: agent offer before the you know, time for an extension surpassed. Yeah,
Speaker 1: he might have been better off financially, but at the
Speaker 1: end of the day, he is here and that's where
Speaker 1: he can kind of bank on that.
Speaker 2: And I think it was bleak. It was a bleak
Speaker 2: situation for Sequon. He was in a corner.
Speaker 1: And you're talking about running back zoom calls, You're talking
Speaker 1: about running back salaries just going down and down.
Speaker 2: You're talking about Dalvin Cook being a free agent.
Speaker 1: Still talking about Ezekiel Elliott being a free agent, still
Speaker 1: talking about James Robinson being signed by the Giants a
Speaker 1: couple of days ago.
Speaker 2: And it's not like Dames.
Speaker 1: James Roninson's not going to run hard and try to
Speaker 1: take all of Saquon's you know, carries an opportunities for
Speaker 1: the spotlight, while Saquon's out look not ideal for Saquon.
Speaker 2: But tip the cap to both sides for getting it done.
Speaker 1: And I got to say, Joe Shane at the end
Speaker 1: of this thing, as unpleasant as this might have been
Speaker 1: and as easy as it might have been to go
Speaker 1: a different way, you have to say that Joe Shane.
Speaker 1: You know, if there's a winner and a loser here,
Speaker 1: Joe Shane is the winner.
Speaker 2: On this one.
Speaker 1: I have to think that getting it to this point
Speaker 1: and getting Saquon in camp and not having to, you know,
Speaker 1: deal with this all summer long of where Saquon wednsdays
Speaker 1: showing up on a major win, and of course the
Speaker 1: Giants are much better team with Saquon Barkley. Real quick,
Speaker 1: some housekeeping here, thirty two teams are in camp. I
Speaker 1: work for the NFL Network, but I also work for
Speaker 1: NFL Plus. So I emailed the great producer of all
Speaker 1: the Back to Football Weekend contents, guy Mike Connor, who's
Speaker 1: excellent at what he does, and he's got this giant
Speaker 1: grid and I'm like, guy's got an idea of like
Speaker 1: who's going to be so I can mention it on
Speaker 1: the podcast.
Speaker 2: I think it is pretty cool.
Speaker 1: So everyone's going to be covered, like we're gonna hit
Speaker 1: all these different things, and it's on Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 1: Saturday is on NFL Network and then Sunday is on
Speaker 1: NFL Plus. I will be part of that Sunday coverage.
Speaker 1: And I'm fired up because where am I.
Speaker 3: Going to be?
Speaker 2: Let's go, Oh jets, I'm there, Let's go. I will
Speaker 2: be there. I will see Rogers. I will see Sauce.
Speaker 1: I will hopefully get you guys everything you can possibly
Speaker 1: want from Jets camp. I'm so fired up to be
Speaker 1: on the grounds in Flora Park, and I think I'm
Speaker 1: gonna have access to whoever. So we'll see if I
Speaker 1: can get Rogers. If not, we'll definitely get Sala or
Speaker 1: Sauce or one of those types.
Speaker 2: But interesting assignments across.
Speaker 1: The board here, I mean, if you're interested, I can
Speaker 1: go through some of it. Saturday Lions, Jaguars, Commanders, Falcons, Saints, Chiefs, Titans, Browns,
Speaker 1: Bears where Kyle Brandt, my colleague, is going to be Panthers.
Speaker 1: Interesting to see Bryce Young. That's all gonna be Saturday morning,
Speaker 1: and then as the day kind of drifts on, it's Packers,
Speaker 1: it's Raiders, it's Broncos, it's Chargers, it's Ravens, Odell Beckaman
Speaker 1: and the Ravens.
Speaker 2: My colleague Mike Garatfala will be on the scene for that.
Speaker 1: Steelers are interesting. That's on Saturday. Bengals a little two
Speaker 1: headed monster of Tom Pella, Sero and Ian Rappaport at
Speaker 1: the Bengals camp with Joe Burrows contract Lingering Cowboys.
Speaker 2: Of course, Big.
Speaker 1: Money maker for the network and everyone knows that they're
Speaker 1: a big storyline. Chris Rose, Brian Baldinger, and Jane Slater
Speaker 1: all there. Vikings interesting. Steve Wisch and Bucky Brooks are
Speaker 1: both going to be in Minnesota. This is all Saturday
Speaker 1: on NFL Network Arizona, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles with the
Speaker 1: Rams where Andrew Siciliano and Maurice Jones.
Speaker 2: Drew will finish up the day.
Speaker 1: Then on Sunday, you wake up early, you get it
Speaker 1: on Tampa, New England Buffalo Giants where Sean O'Hara is
Speaker 1: going to be at Philly where Jamie Art all my
Speaker 1: coast from NFL Networks. Good Morning Football is going to
Speaker 1: be Houston. James Palmer going to be there, and that's
Speaker 1: an interesting one because Houston, of course has c J. Stroud,
Speaker 1: myself with the Jets, Kim Wolf with the Dolphins. Omar
Speaker 1: Rouiz and Taylor Rashatti will end the day from San
Speaker 1: Francisco and Seattle, respectively. I think it's a cool thing
Speaker 1: they do. It's a cool way to kick things off.
Speaker 1: But we're hitting all those different training camps this week
Speaker 1: on NFL Network an NFL Plus and I'm sure there
Speaker 1: will be a million storylines to come out of this.
Speaker 1: If you're gonna be at Jets camp Sunday, look for me.
Speaker 1: I'll either be wearing an NFL Plus polo shirt if
Speaker 1: I can fit in it, or I'll be.
Speaker 2: Wearing something else. We'll see. It's been a big summer
Speaker 2: for me. I've been enjoying the barbecues.
Speaker 1: And as I've mentioned, football is vac celebrate by watching
Speaker 1: as teams across the league take the field for training
Speaker 1: camp again. It's called Back Together Weekend. It's presented by YouTube,
Speaker 1: two full days of practices, player interviews, miked up moments,
Speaker 1: fan fests across the league. It's can't miss stuff. It's
Speaker 1: the NFL and we're back, and it's a reunion. The
Speaker 1: NFL Network and NFL Plus have us covered all day Saturday,
Speaker 1: July twenty ninth, all day Sunday July thirtieth, and there's
Speaker 1: also going to be covered.
Speaker 2: On ABC and ESPN.
Speaker 1: But go to NFL dot com slash Back Together Weekend
Speaker 1: for ways to watch an idea of when you should
Speaker 1: tune in for your team.
Speaker 2: All right, today's podcast. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1: It's one of my favorite guys to ever play football
Speaker 1: as a player and now he's become a friend. Super
Speaker 1: excited for this one, Ladies and gentlemen, Rob Gronkowski.
Speaker 2: So excited for this. He's a four time Super Bowl champion.
Speaker 1: He was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in
Speaker 1: twenty fourteen. He's a four time first team All Pro,
Speaker 1: a five time Pro Bowler. He's the NFL Receiving's touchdown
Speaker 1: later from the year twenty eleven. He was the twenty
Speaker 1: tens All Decade tight End. He's on the NFL's top
Speaker 1: one hundred anniversary All Time team.
Speaker 2: No further ado.
Speaker 1: For my money, the greatest tight end to ever play
Speaker 1: the game, mister Rob Gronkowski. Welcome to the season with
Speaker 1: Peter Schreeger.
Speaker 3: Peter Schreger. What's up, my man? How you doing?
Speaker 2: I'm doing good, bro.
Speaker 1: Like we're starting off right now with this podcast and
Speaker 1: training camps are opening.
Speaker 2: When you see, like even.
Speaker 1: Periphery wise on Twitter or on your TV, that guys
Speaker 1: are reporting to camp and knowing you don't have to,
Speaker 1: is that a great relief? Do you miss like the
Speaker 1: first day of camp that was fun.
Speaker 4: No, it's the best relief I can tell you that
Speaker 4: right now. I believe that training camp is too long,
Speaker 4: especially for veterans.
Speaker 3: There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 4: You're in training camp July twenty fifth, and the first
Speaker 4: game isn't until September tenth or September eighth, or or
Speaker 4: whenever that is, and for a veteran, training camp just
Speaker 4: can become drooling throughout that whole time and you're just
Speaker 4: waiting for the game.
Speaker 3: But listen to this Blaine Gabber.
Speaker 4: I was working out with him down in Florida in
Speaker 4: Tampa about two weeks ago or ten days ago, and
Speaker 4: we're hanging out, we're bsing, we're messing around.
Speaker 3: And then three.
Speaker 4: Days later, I'm on Instagram and I look at his
Speaker 4: story and it's him at training camp and this is
Speaker 4: like a week ago now, and I'm like, bro, how
Speaker 4: are you already at training camp. He's like, yo, man,
Speaker 4: we have the early game, we have the Hall of
Speaker 4: Fame game or whatever game that is, and we already reported.
Speaker 4: And my mind was just blown. I was like, oh
Speaker 4: my gosh, I'm so glad I'm not at training camp
Speaker 4: right now.
Speaker 2: It's crazy.
Speaker 1: Like the Jets guys I know them well, and they're like, yeah,
Speaker 1: we've got I was still on the beach there, like, yeah,
Speaker 1: we've got practice today, like practice, Yeah, they've got the
Speaker 1: training of the Hall of Fame game, and they've got
Speaker 1: to be there early.
Speaker 4: I mean, we're dreading it right now. But if you
Speaker 4: love it, then it's great. I mean, I don't love
Speaker 4: training camp. I'm not a guy that loved training camp.
Speaker 4: I mean, I believe that training camp was like four
Speaker 4: days on hid like two days off.
Speaker 3: It's just you just beat yourself like a dead horse.
Speaker 4: You're just running into the defensive end every single day,
Speaker 4: and your head's just getting numb, your body's getting numb.
Speaker 4: And that's why I don't like training camp had just
Speaker 4: started now and then it was kind of more strategic planning,
Speaker 4: like all right, we're going to hit today hardcore and
Speaker 4: then we're going to recover for todays. We're going to
Speaker 4: just do seven on seven the next day or whatever.
Speaker 4: But it was just boom, boom boom in my head
Speaker 4: my body. It's like it's felt like I was at
Speaker 4: the end of the season when I was when I
Speaker 4: was in the middle of training camp then beginning of
Speaker 4: the season. But if you love football and you love
Speaker 4: doing that, well, then you're in the right spot.
Speaker 2: I guess. I mean, if you love it, you're gonna love,
Speaker 2: You're gonna play anyway. What's life for you like now?
Speaker 1: I think I actually I've you know, for the listeners,
Speaker 1: we really had a great time a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1: You're working for Fox. I know that's during the season. Like,
Speaker 1: what's a day like Rob Gronkowski. I know you've got
Speaker 1: other business ventures going on, but I think of you
Speaker 1: as one of the toughest, most all around dominant football players,
Speaker 1: none of your generation of all time. And I'm not
Speaker 1: just you know, blowing you up because you're on this
Speaker 1: I think everyone would agree that you have that. But then, okay,
Speaker 1: you're guy in your thirties now and football's in.
Speaker 2: The rear view. What's the day to day for Rob Gronkowski?
Speaker 4: Yes, Well, first off, I love to stay in shape.
Speaker 4: I love the exercise still. I've been exercising since I
Speaker 4: was a kid, and the best way to get in
Speaker 4: shape is to stay in shape.
Speaker 3: So I was.
Speaker 4: Already in top not shape after I retired, and I
Speaker 4: didn't want to lose that.
Speaker 3: So I like to run.
Speaker 4: Still about twice a week, workout lift maybe once a week,
Speaker 4: do a band workout twice a week. Maybe go do
Speaker 4: a hot yoga once or twice a week as well.
Speaker 4: I like to switch it up, you know, just to
Speaker 4: stay active. It makes me feel good. Get them dorphins
Speaker 4: going gets me going. Good night's sleep. I haven't worked
Speaker 4: out yet. Usually I love to work out before I
Speaker 4: go on podcasts because then I'm wide awake ready to talk.
Speaker 2: I was a morning You're a morning workout guy, wake
Speaker 2: up and do it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but this morning I got a bad night's sleep.
Speaker 3: Last night.
Speaker 4: I woke up at like four am, and I was
Speaker 4: wide awake till like six, and then I changed my
Speaker 4: alarm to ten. I woke up and I was like,
Speaker 4: oh crap, I got the show pretty soon.
Speaker 3: But I love to stay active. I love to work out.
Speaker 4: And then just hang out and then find business ventures
Speaker 4: to do. I can't wait for the Fox season to
Speaker 4: start up and go there every Sunday, out to LA
Speaker 4: and be with the guys in the studio.
Speaker 3: That's always fun. That's such a great family.
Speaker 4: But just stay active and just hit up teammates to
Speaker 4: find partners to work out with, find friends to work
Speaker 4: out with, work out with some players still, Like I
Speaker 4: said Blaine Gabbert last week Down in Tampa.
Speaker 3: So just running around, man, it's fun.
Speaker 1: Do you miss the locker room and the camaraderie with
Speaker 1: the guys. I feel like that would be the thing
Speaker 1: I would miss the most.
Speaker 4: That's exactly what I miss And that's why I love
Speaker 4: working out and finding like workout partners.
Speaker 3: Like down in Tampa. We have a great crew.
Speaker 2: Who's the crew who still gets after it.
Speaker 4: Yes, we got like Camp Braid, Scottie Miller, Blaine Gabber,
Speaker 4: then a couple of the Lightning players. But the thing
Speaker 4: is everyone goes in, everyone comes out. There's like fifteen
Speaker 4: guys that we work out with. It's called a place
Speaker 4: called Suka, and Suka and Greek means the excellence of
Speaker 4: your body in your mind together to put you to
Speaker 4: the highest performance.
Speaker 3: And it just opened up. It's a great spot. I
Speaker 3: love it.
Speaker 4: And there's about fifteen of us that work out there.
Speaker 4: And there's a time you work out at and whoever shows,
Speaker 4: whoever shows. It's not like you know, you get beat
Speaker 4: down if you don't show, and then if you show,
Speaker 4: there's always about eight guys there.
Speaker 3: It's always a switch up. All of us are cool
Speaker 3: and it's just fun. You get that like locker.
Speaker 4: Room feel, and that's what it's about, and that's why
Speaker 4: I love doing it still.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: I always loved watching you from afar when you were
Speaker 1: in New England because you had this personality and yet
Speaker 1: when it was time to work within the system of
Speaker 1: Belichick and kind of get down to the business, you
Speaker 1: got down to business and whereas dedicated to the craft
Speaker 1: and to the Patriot as anybody in an off season,
Speaker 1: you'd be like doing commercials and you'd be having fun,
Speaker 1: and you'd be at these different events and it's.
Speaker 2: Like, Okay, this guy, he gets it to turn it
Speaker 2: on and turn it off.
Speaker 1: Was that how it felt, or when you were with
Speaker 1: Belichick and it's so strict and it's so disciplined, did
Speaker 1: you feel like you can still be yourself and be authentic.
Speaker 1: It's just as not necessarily as wild crazy, but hey,
Speaker 1: I got to get down to business as football time.
Speaker 4: No, it definitely had to get down the business when
Speaker 4: it became football time. I mean, if you want to
Speaker 4: have your fun and be doing commercials, be going to
Speaker 4: a party, being all over the place, you.
Speaker 3: Have to show up. And that's what it's about.
Speaker 4: And I knew in my mind the whole entire time
Speaker 4: that whatever it was, if it was an OTA, if
Speaker 4: it was training camp during the season, that I had
Speaker 4: to show up if I wanted to keep that train going,
Speaker 4: keep that fun train going, keep those shoots going, or
Speaker 4: whatever I was doing, or go to that event. And
Speaker 4: I'm so glad I did that all, especially in my twenties.
Speaker 4: I mean to me, going to an event, going to
Speaker 4: a party. Now thirties, it's like whatever, And I'm glad
Speaker 4: I did all my twenties. When I was young, when
Speaker 4: you could wake up, you can recover from just four
Speaker 4: hours of sleep.
Speaker 3: All that.
Speaker 4: But I had to dedicate. I had to be dedicated
Speaker 4: to my craft when I was with the New England Patriots,
Speaker 4: because if I wasn't if I was showing up to practice,
Speaker 4: if I wasn't ready to go, if I was you know,
Speaker 4: missing out, misdropping balls, all that, all that bad stuff,
Speaker 4: then it would have never worked, no doubt. I would
Speaker 4: have been out of there in no time. But I
Speaker 4: always made sure I always had a strategic plan. If
Speaker 4: I was going to have some fun, go out, go
Speaker 4: do whatever, that I made sure that it fit my
Speaker 4: schedule right, that I was still ready to go when
Speaker 4: I showed up in that building.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I feel like you said, like a wiser,
Speaker 1: more more experienced Rob Gronkowski right now, like you're looking
Speaker 1: back on your younger self saying I'm glad.
Speaker 2: I did it when I did it, because I probably wouldn't
Speaker 2: want to do it now. And yet you still do
Speaker 2: the Gronk beach party at Super Bowl. You still do
Speaker 2: all these things, Like I think.
Speaker 1: It's amazing because this persona that you have as like,
Speaker 1: you know, Gronk, this fun. But then on the football field,
Speaker 1: you're an absolute badass, throwing guys around, run blocking the
Speaker 1: most like selfless thing to do. I guess that was
Speaker 1: my question, really, like the turning it on and then
Speaker 1: turning it off and then knowing that, hey, I'm doing
Speaker 1: some of the dirty work here also, Yeah.
Speaker 4: Exactly, the dirty work actually made me who I am.
Speaker 3: I believe it actually helped me out to be.
Speaker 4: The guy that I was off the field as well,
Speaker 4: because I was doing the dirty work.
Speaker 3: I'm here to do all the work.
Speaker 4: I'm here to accomplish everything I need to accomplish, no
Speaker 4: matter what it was or whatever the task was.
Speaker 3: And I'm here to be the full package.
Speaker 4: I'm not just here to go out and catch a ball,
Speaker 4: make a play, score a touchdown. I'm here to do
Speaker 4: get some blocks for the running back to open up
Speaker 4: a hole so he can run into.
Speaker 3: The end zone.
Speaker 4: And then also off the field, go enjoy my time,
Speaker 4: go to a party, go to an event, go do whatever.
Speaker 4: I was just a full, total package, Peter, and that's
Speaker 4: what's up.
Speaker 2: I love it, dude.
Speaker 1: I mean people look at you and say this great career,
Speaker 1: but you face so much adversity too because of some
Speaker 1: the body stuff and the injuries. I remember coming out
Speaker 1: of college, you didn't even play that final year at
Speaker 1: Arizona because of the injury, and then you get drafted
Speaker 1: in what the second round?
Speaker 3: I believe, Yeah, I got drafted in the second Yep.
Speaker 1: How'd you use that as fuel to kind of motivate
Speaker 1: you and inspire you? And then of course always guys
Speaker 1: coming for you in the NFL. I mean, I just
Speaker 1: remember you carrying four dudes on your back with all that,
Speaker 1: and just like you just were a gamer. How did
Speaker 1: you use the injury in college to motivate you once
Speaker 1: you got to the pros?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 3: You know, once I dropped in the second round.
Speaker 4: I remember I didn't get drafted in the first round.
Speaker 4: I was really disappointed. I was pissed off, you know,
Speaker 4: like I wasn't in the best mood. And then I
Speaker 4: can tell you this, once I got drafted in the
Speaker 4: second round, all that went away. I didn't care anymore.
Speaker 4: I was just so glad that I accomplished my dream.
Speaker 4: Why would I be pissed off I didn't go in
Speaker 4: the first round when I just got drafted in the
Speaker 4: NFL in the second round, you know, coming off of
Speaker 4: a season where I didn't even play in college. I
Speaker 4: was it was one of the best moments of my life,
Speaker 4: if not the best moment of my life when I
Speaker 4: got drafted. And then therefore I that motivation of not
Speaker 4: getting picked the night before, I didn't really care. I
Speaker 4: was just so happy I was picked in the second round.
Speaker 4: I was just so glad I was just picked, you know,
Speaker 4: in the NFL draft, just overall. And then from there
Speaker 4: I just knew I didn't really have any motivation because
Speaker 4: of that, Oh I wasn't a first rounder. It was like,
Speaker 4: all right, it's time to show them what's up. Like
Speaker 4: I have that motivation to be great now, you know,
Speaker 4: to fit in the locker room, to get that respect
Speaker 4: for my teammates.
Speaker 2: You had a great rookie year.
Speaker 1: You had three touchdown catches against the Steelers in a
Speaker 1: game I remember. But then I go to the postseason
Speaker 1: twenty eleven. You guys are playing t Bow and the Broncos,
Speaker 1: and you guys just blow them out in a Saturday
Speaker 1: night game, and that was, to me, your big coming
Speaker 1: out party. You had three touchdown pass catches, you had
Speaker 1: ten catches, one hundred.
Speaker 2: And forty five yards. Do you remember that as like
Speaker 2: the coming out party.
Speaker 1: Okay, Saturday night game, everyone's in t bow Mania and
Speaker 1: we're going to go kick the crap out of them.
Speaker 3: It was kind of the coming out party in the playoffs.
Speaker 4: I mean prior to that year, I already had eighteen
Speaker 4: touchdowns in the regular season, so I was kind of
Speaker 4: a little bit known going into the playoffs. But then
Speaker 4: it was the coming out party at the after party,
Speaker 4: which was the playoffs, baby, and that just shows I
Speaker 4: can last all night long.
Speaker 3: I can last, baby, And that's what it was.
Speaker 4: The playoffs equals the after party, and I showed up
Speaker 4: performed three touchdowns. I remember that game too, t ten catches.
Speaker 4: I remember my last catch was down the sideline. It
Speaker 4: was like the fourth quarter. We were already blowing them
Speaker 4: out and Tom called a fade I'll split out wide
Speaker 4: and he threw like another like twenty five yard thirty
Speaker 4: yard bomb to me all the way out there on
Speaker 4: the fade route.
Speaker 3: I caught it for my.
Speaker 4: Tenth catch, did like the first down signal, acting all
Speaker 4: all cocky and everything. It was just a great game overall,
Speaker 4: and it was just great to beat those Broncos at
Speaker 4: the time with Tiba, with Tibo on the squad as well,
Speaker 4: you know, all that hype they were having, and we
Speaker 4: just took them down. I think we won like forty
Speaker 4: five to seven or something from that game.
Speaker 3: Yeah, forty five to ten. It was. It was a
Speaker 3: great game. It was unbelievable. I loved it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, It's like, do you think about these guys, like,
Speaker 1: do you if I named a game? Could you kind
Speaker 1: of do that with your mind? A lot of these
Speaker 1: guys got like McVeigh. We talked to him and it's like, hey,
Speaker 1: can you this play? And it's like yes on this
Speaker 1: third down. I remember when we were talking in La
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago. I'm like, I remember a
Speaker 1: Steelers game the Jesse James game with a touch on.
Speaker 1: You're like, yep, I remember that entire last drop. Do
Speaker 1: you have that memory too, where it's like I can
Speaker 1: bring up a random game You're like, yeah, I remember that,
Speaker 1: and here's what happened. Here was the storyline going in
Speaker 1: or is it just those big special moments.
Speaker 3: I would probably say about seventy five percent of them
Speaker 3: I remember.
Speaker 4: Sometimes I talked football with some people I don't remember,
Speaker 4: but I mean I played so many games, I think
Speaker 4: like one hundred and forty games right around there in
Speaker 4: the regular season, so in cleaning playoffs, I think I
Speaker 4: played around like one hundred and fifty five games. But
Speaker 4: I remember about seventy five percent of them, especially when
Speaker 4: someone like you brings up the analogy of the game
Speaker 4: of what happened, and that's that's triggering back in my mind.
Speaker 3: Of oh yeah, yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 4: So sometimes I can't bring it up, but someone else
Speaker 4: brings it up, it starts clicking again.
Speaker 3: But I do remember most of them, but not all
Speaker 3: of them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, so you get started. You're losing that
Speaker 1: Super Bowl to the Giants. You guys are are kind
Speaker 1: of bouncing into the playoffs and losing to the Ravens
Speaker 1: a couple of times, and then finally you do get.
Speaker 2: A Super Bowl ring.
Speaker 1: Take us through your first Super Bowl ring experience and
Speaker 1: what you remember from that afternoon.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was a great experience.
Speaker 4: I remember my first Super Bowl actually was one of
Speaker 4: the worst experiences because I got my ankle blown out
Speaker 4: versus a Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter.
Speaker 2: But remember the storyline was like, is Groc gonna play?
Speaker 2: Is Groc on a plane? You played?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I played, But it was the worst week man, because
Speaker 4: you're supposed to be there and join the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3: I was just rehab.
Speaker 4: I was like hiding out in my hotel room. It
Speaker 4: just didn't go as I planned, and it wasn't as fun.
Speaker 2: Indianapolis, right, That's where that super Bowl.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was an Indianapolis.
Speaker 4: It just, you know, wasn't how I expected it to be,
Speaker 4: especially with the injury that I only played like twelve
Speaker 4: plays in the game. And I feel like, if I
Speaker 4: could go back, obviously I would have done things differently
Speaker 4: to prepare for the game to get my ankle ready.
Speaker 4: But you live and you learn, Baby, you can't go
Speaker 4: back and regret anything.
Speaker 3: You live and you learn.
Speaker 4: Peter and then finally it got to the super Bowl
Speaker 4: versus Seattle, and I was like, all right, this is
Speaker 4: a game changer. This is a different story. Now I'm healthy.
Speaker 4: We just want we're going to the super Bowl. I
Speaker 4: think we absolutely dominated the Colts in the prior game,
Speaker 4: in the AFC Championship game, I'm pretty sure, Like I
Speaker 4: think that's when the deflay gates started because we absolutely
Speaker 4: destroyed them. So they had a makeup excuse like we
Speaker 4: ran the ball forty times, we had like three hundred
Speaker 4: and fifty yards rushing, and Gerrick Blunt had like four
Speaker 4: touchdowns versus of them, and then they were just embarrassed.
Speaker 3: So they had, you.
Speaker 4: Guys go to seven, No, forty five to seven, even
Speaker 4: worse than the Denver Broncos game and a couple of
Speaker 4: years before. But and then I was like, all right,
Speaker 4: clean slate, going to the super Bowl. This is what
Speaker 4: it's all about. I need to get into the super
Speaker 4: Bowl club.
Speaker 3: That's what it's all about. My career will be set
Speaker 3: if I get one.
Speaker 4: I was happy. I was like, I'm good to go.
Speaker 4: If I ever get traded, if I get hurt again, whatever,
Speaker 4: I have a super Bowl. And that week just that
Speaker 4: whole Super Bowl experience. It was in Arizona, way better
Speaker 4: than Indianapolis. Just overall, just everything went smoothly, went to
Speaker 4: the game, and it couldn't have been a better game, man.
Speaker 4: I mean, it was a amazing shootout. Everyone contributed. I
Speaker 4: had a touchdown. I had about I think six catches
Speaker 4: for sixty eight yards. Julian contributed, Amandola contributed, We all contributed,
Speaker 4: the running backs. It was like a team game. We
Speaker 4: all did our part. And then obviously with Malcolm Butler
Speaker 4: ceiling the deal at the end of the game with
Speaker 4: that game winning interception. You couldn't have drawn up that
Speaker 4: game any more pitcher perfect than what it came out to.
Speaker 3: So where were you and that?
Speaker 1: I always see the footage of Jimmy and Brady and
Speaker 1: Mike Gavardi who is the old PR guy, all on
Speaker 1: the sidelines, and that's a famous clip of Brady like
Speaker 1: just being shocked and Jimmy and him embracing. Where were
Speaker 1: you during that the Malcolm Butler pick.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was just on the bench and I was
Speaker 4: basically like a couple of benches over. You know, the quarterbacks,
Speaker 4: all the big time guys, you know, they have their
Speaker 4: own little bench over to the side, Thank you, Dad.
Speaker 4: The big time guys, the cameras all on them, and
Speaker 4: I'm doing the same thing as them. But I'm not
Speaker 4: a big time guy, you know. I'm just a guy
Speaker 4: that does the dirty work. I blocked, make holes for
Speaker 4: the running back, catch a pass, catch a touchdown, for
Speaker 4: time wherever he throws the ball, and make him look good.
Speaker 1: So them.
Speaker 4: So I'm over on the bench all the way to
Speaker 4: the right and I'm just sitting there and I just
Speaker 4: I'm just like, our defense is going to come through.
Speaker 3: I knew it.
Speaker 4: I was saying that from the time I had conference
Speaker 4: that our defense was was going to come through. But
Speaker 4: then they started driving down the field. I'm like, maybe
Speaker 4: maybe our defense isn't.
Speaker 3: Going to come through. And then they keep driving.
Speaker 4: I'm like, man, They're just chunk plays all over the
Speaker 4: play and then they get down to like the ten
Speaker 4: yard line, and I'm like, I still have some belief,
Speaker 4: but I might not have some.
Speaker 3: Belief because I didn't want to be wrong.
Speaker 4: I'm like, oh, And then I was like, but I
Speaker 4: still have beliefs something's going to happen.
Speaker 3: Something's going to happen, fumble or something. And then Malcolm
Speaker 3: Buter just came through. I remember I was just sitting
Speaker 3: on my chair.
Speaker 4: I just jumped up in excitement like it was a
Speaker 4: it was a feeling of undescribable because it's just like
Speaker 4: you felt like you were just floating when that happened.
Speaker 3: Getting my first Super Bowl ring, seeing.
Speaker 4: With that play going down unreal surreal experience.
Speaker 2: Yeah, an unbelievable one.
Speaker 1: And then obviously you guys have that offseason and then
Speaker 1: to get back there a couple of years later, and
Speaker 1: I know, you think about twenty eight to three. Everyone
Speaker 1: talks about that so much. Obviously you didn't have the
Speaker 1: fondest memories of that.
Speaker 2: Super Bowl Like how do you look at that Super
Speaker 2: Bowl win?
Speaker 4: You know something, I didn't actually play in that game,
Speaker 4: but I was on the sidelines.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so like, how do you how do you look
Speaker 1: at it when everyone's like, oh, twenty eight to three
Speaker 1: the greatest, whenever you're like, well, I actually was hurt,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 4: Like, yeah, you know you know something that actually it
Speaker 4: stings a little bit. But at the same time, you know,
Speaker 4: I said to myself, I'm going to use this as motivation,
Speaker 4: like and like it was fine. I was like I
Speaker 4: did my part that year when I was on the field.
Speaker 4: But listen to this. I was in training camp that year.
Speaker 4: I was unstoppable. Bro I'm talking two guys around me,
Speaker 4: three guys. I was running by everyone. It was gonna
Speaker 4: be my best season ever, and it really was.
Speaker 3: Peter. Here we go.
Speaker 4: So I'm in training camp and then it's versus the
Speaker 4: Chicago Bears.
Speaker 3: They come in. They're in training camp and I pull
Speaker 3: my hamstring and it.
Speaker 4: Was the first time I ever pulled the muscle, and
Speaker 4: I felt to come in and just you know, I
Speaker 4: tried going higher and it popped.
Speaker 3: And it was a tough situation. I'm talking.
Speaker 4: I was fifteen days straight. No one could stop me,
Speaker 4: no one. I'm talking like. It was unbelievable how much
Speaker 4: fire I was on. So then I blow out.
Speaker 3: I'm almost back, I'm getting back.
Speaker 4: I blow out my hamstring again, kind of, I tear
Speaker 4: it again a little bit like no one knew. Like
Speaker 4: two weeks later, because I'm trying to come back. I'm
Speaker 4: out in the field like running rounds. So then I
Speaker 4: finally get it healed. About week four, I go out.
Speaker 4: This is when Jimmy is the quarterback Stale because Tom
Speaker 4: was suspended from the Indianapolis Colts, the flake Gate thingy
Speaker 4: that they came up with because we beat him so
Speaker 4: bad in the playoffs. And then and then it was
Speaker 4: I go in, my hamstring is still a little messed up,
Speaker 4: Like it was so bad, Like they tried throwing me
Speaker 4: a route in the middle of the game and it
Speaker 4: was just like I was running one mile prour. And
Speaker 4: then I was like, my hamstring needs like one more week.
Speaker 4: And then kaboom, like it kicked in. And then all
Speaker 4: of a sudden, Tom is back too, and Tom and
Speaker 4: I if in those four in those five games I played,
Speaker 4: I literally was on fire.
Speaker 3: Bro.
Speaker 4: Once again, I left off where I was in training camp,
Speaker 4: and I'm five hundred and fifty yards in four games
Speaker 4: I have.
Speaker 3: I know I'm on fire. Bro.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're twenty one yards per reception that season.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no one can do that. That's incredible, dude. And
Speaker 4: if you and I was going to hit a thousand
Speaker 4: yards in like ten games, I was on fire. I
Speaker 4: was like, no one stopped me, No one stop.
Speaker 3: So then what happens?
Speaker 4: I go, So I'm doing my part already this year.
Speaker 4: You know Martellus Bennett, he's on the team now. He's
Speaker 4: the first year. I'm showing the way, like this is
Speaker 4: how we grind, this is how we get it done.
Speaker 4: And then I go up to Seam versus Seattle Seahawks
Speaker 4: again Thomas, Earl Thomas.
Speaker 3: Tom throws me.
Speaker 4: A pass, I put my hand out versus Camp Champs
Speaker 4: or he's guiding me. So you got the two harriers
Speaker 4: hitting safeties in the game over the last ten years.
Speaker 4: I probably say over the last two decades, there's a couple,
Speaker 4: but I put them up in the top five.
Speaker 3: Earl Thomas may be number one.
Speaker 4: And I reach out and I'm not looking at Earl Thomas,
Speaker 4: and he gets a full steam of speed and just
Speaker 4: levels me full speed, dude, And I'm not even looking
Speaker 4: like you know. It was a clean hit, no doubt.
Speaker 3: It was a clean hit.
Speaker 4: And I got up, man, and I couldn't breathe. The
Speaker 4: wind was knocked out of me, and I went to
Speaker 4: the huddle. Blood was coming out of my mouth. I
Speaker 4: didn't even say anything. Later that day. The next day,
Speaker 4: I had a punctured lung and it was shooting blood
Speaker 4: all up in my mouth. So then I had to
Speaker 4: take off a week and I try to come in back.
Speaker 4: I'm like I can't move still. But little did I know,
Speaker 4: he freaking popped a disc.
Speaker 3: Out on my back as well.
Speaker 4: HEARDing a disk and then I had to go out
Speaker 4: end of the season. Right there, I had to get
Speaker 4: the surgery. My disc was popping out, So that's why
Speaker 4: I didn't play in the Atlanta game. There was a disappointment
Speaker 4: because I don't think there would ever needed a come
Speaker 4: back because I was on fire that year so much
Speaker 4: that we were just going to be rolling. And we
Speaker 4: had the two tight ends set with Marty B and
Speaker 4: I love too tight and set. You cannot stop two
Speaker 4: tight ends in the NFL. If you have two legit
Speaker 4: tight ends, it's impossible.
Speaker 1: Let me ask about Marty B. We've had Marty B
Speaker 1: on Good Morning Football million times. I find it to
Speaker 1: be one of the most curious personalities in a good way.
Speaker 1: I find him to be so unique one of one.
Speaker 1: And then of course he's got a brother who's also
Speaker 1: a big personality.
Speaker 2: But Marty B special. You two together and I'll tight
Speaker 2: ends room. What was that like? You know?
Speaker 4: It was, like I said, it was kind of like
Speaker 4: winning the Super Bowl. But it was a little disappointment
Speaker 4: at the same time because we wanted to play together.
Speaker 3: We were having such a great year. We were with
Speaker 3: the Red.
Speaker 4: Zone Force and training camp that year where everyone was
Speaker 4: trying to stop us. No one could stop us. He
Speaker 4: had personality. I had personality. But when he came to
Speaker 4: the Patriots, he saw how we worked, he saw how
Speaker 4: we got it done.
Speaker 3: And that's what was so great.
Speaker 4: I felt like we were elevating each other's games and
Speaker 4: we were.
Speaker 3: We complimented each other very well.
Speaker 4: If you go look at his stats as well, in
Speaker 4: those four games that I played, he was having three
Speaker 4: touchdown games.
Speaker 3: He had three touchdowns in the Cleveland game.
Speaker 4: When I first got back to the first game, I
Speaker 4: had one hundred and twenty yards. The next game, I'm
Speaker 4: having one hundred and twenty more yards. He's having a touchdown.
Speaker 4: I'm having a touchdown. We were combining for like remember
Speaker 4: that we were talking twenty one yards per catch, five
Speaker 4: hundred and fift yards and four games. I think we
Speaker 4: had eight hundred yards total in four games together, and
Speaker 4: like in like eight touchdowns.
Speaker 2: I love this. I love how passionate you are. Do
Speaker 2: you remember it?
Speaker 1: And it's like it's a s great like no one
Speaker 1: ever looks back. It's like I remember Marty being gronk
Speaker 1: that season because it just whatever, but like you.
Speaker 4: Remember it, you know, Yeah, And it's just a little
Speaker 4: disappointment that I got hurt.
Speaker 3: Man, It's just he got hurt.
Speaker 2: You got hit hurt. It this get your vomiting up
Speaker 2: your lungs.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a little disappointment because we would have had
Speaker 4: Marty b and I, we would have dominated. We were
Speaker 4: dominating and uh. And like I said that, I missed
Speaker 4: the Super Bowl as well, but you know, I wasn't
Speaker 4: gonna let that hinder me.
Speaker 3: Man. It was the situation I was in, and I
Speaker 3: was glad that we won a super Bowl.
Speaker 4: I got my second ring, and you know, I was
Speaker 4: just glad that I got to show like the best
Speaker 4: of myself that year to kind of amp up the guys,
Speaker 4: you know, to show what kind of standards that we have,
Speaker 4: you know, throughout training camp and when I was back
Speaker 4: in the field for those games, and then I just
Speaker 4: said to myself, I have to win another one if
Speaker 4: I want this this super Bowl to count. I said
Speaker 4: this to myself, I want the land of super Bowl
Speaker 4: to really count. If I really own the land of
Speaker 4: super Bowl and show the ring off, I have to
Speaker 4: win one more, because then I can walk around and say, yes,
Speaker 4: I have three Super Bowls and.
Speaker 3: Be confident about it and be proud of it, because.
Speaker 4: If yeah, I got two and I didn't play in Atlanta,
Speaker 4: like I need to win one more. And then we
Speaker 4: beat the Los Angeles Rams, right the Los Angeles Rams
Speaker 4: their first year or second year, they were Los Angeles Rams.
Speaker 4: And then that's when I was like, all right, mission complete.
Speaker 3: I got three super Bowl right now.
Speaker 1: And you made the biggest catch of that game. I
Speaker 1: think Jewles might have been MVP in that game, but
Speaker 1: that catch was you at the end. I mean, that's
Speaker 1: what great is looking for.
Speaker 3: Jewles dominated that game.
Speaker 2: He did. He did before we get there, though you
Speaker 2: lose to the Eagles.
Speaker 1: And we're not going to talk about the Philly Special
Speaker 1: and all that because it's whatever. But what's fascinating to
Speaker 1: me is in the story has come out since and
Speaker 1: I don't know if you've ever spoken about it publicly,
Speaker 1: they tried trading you to the Lion, Like, what was
Speaker 1: the story with the trade of the Lions that offseason?
Speaker 1: Because here you are, this Patriots legend coming off an
Speaker 1: amazing season and unbelievable Super Bowl all this stuff, and
Speaker 1: then the story like two years later came out that
Speaker 1: the Lions tried trading for you and then you vetoed it.
Speaker 2: Can you tell us what exactly?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I mean we were kind of having
Speaker 4: some disconnect between myself the organization.
Speaker 3: It was kind of like mayhem a little bit. Maybe
Speaker 3: I handled myself a little a little wrong. Maybe if
Speaker 3: I could go back, I would have done it differently.
Speaker 4: But we'll just say this overall in the end that
Speaker 4: whoever I got traded to, I was going to retire.
Speaker 4: Like it didn't matter if it was a Lion, you.
Speaker 2: Were vetoing it regardless, it wasn't a.
Speaker 4: Lion, I was doing it regardless. So I was kind
Speaker 4: of being a little bit and then Bill was like,
Speaker 4: all right, let's get this out of here. And then
Speaker 4: I was like, oh, the ain't playing no more though,
Speaker 4: so I was amping it up even more. At the moment,
Speaker 4: I want to say, I wouldn't say. That's kind of
Speaker 4: being like a I would say more. I didn't want
Speaker 4: to say, but uh but uh. And then I was like, ah,
Speaker 4: how can you trade me? I'm retired? And then they're
Speaker 4: like and then everyone took it away, like oh, oh,
Speaker 4: he doesn't want to go to the Lions, like, oh, Detroit,
Speaker 4: f Detroit, and everyone was coming at me. All the
Speaker 4: Detroit fans were like, oh, how do you not like
Speaker 4: Detroit all this too? And I was like, no, it's
Speaker 4: just in back of my mind. I was like, no,
Speaker 4: it was just it was just that I just wasn't
Speaker 4: going to get.
Speaker 2: Traded Patriots or nothing at the time.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Patriots or nothing.
Speaker 4: I go, we got to win one more Super Bowl
Speaker 4: if I go.
Speaker 2: So how'd you guys?
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously, how'd you guys repair all that? Because
Speaker 1: you go and you do win that other Super Bowl
Speaker 1: and you do come and play the clutching, So like
Speaker 1: that season has to be a little awkward, or is
Speaker 1: it just this is business is business?
Speaker 2: Footballs football, business is business.
Speaker 4: Football's football still showed up, did my thing, and we
Speaker 4: won the Super Bowl that year. I knew it was
Speaker 4: one of the best decisions, you know. I was so
Speaker 4: glad I vetoed that trade. And uh football, you know,
Speaker 4: football is football and business is business.
Speaker 3: You know, you get over that quick man. In this world,
Speaker 3: I mean.
Speaker 4: Football, the football world, I would say, is one of
Speaker 4: the kind It's not like being out there in the
Speaker 4: normal business world. It's still it's still the only place
Speaker 4: where it can be like that old school mentality, you
Speaker 4: know what I mean, and then when things don't go right, well,
Speaker 4: guess what, move move the f on things need to
Speaker 4: and get it right, you know, And that's what we did.
Speaker 3: Dude.
Speaker 1: It's a great message to some of these younger guys too,
Speaker 1: because I think we all try to put it into like.
Speaker 2: All right, well, in the media world or in the
Speaker 2: business world.
Speaker 1: It's it's one of one football like, it doesn't make
Speaker 1: sense in a lot of ways in a lot of
Speaker 1: these running backs right now. I feel for them, but
Speaker 1: it's also, yeah, it sucks, but that's what it is.
Speaker 1: You get to play football too, you know.
Speaker 4: Yep, yeah, exactly, man, I agree, man, I mean it's
Speaker 4: a little bit different with these younger guys now. I
Speaker 4: mean that's why I love football so much too, because
Speaker 4: it's the only it's literally the only place in the
Speaker 4: world I would say, is where it's if you're just
Speaker 4: not good enough at your job, you're gone and there's
Speaker 4: no other excuses. You can't shoe them. You can't, you know,
Speaker 4: cause havoc. It's you're just not good enough. You're gone.
Speaker 4: You know what I mean, there's no other controversy with it.
Speaker 2: It's the great equalizes.
Speaker 1: They're also it's like coaches don't care about necessarily what
Speaker 1: you look like, where you came from, what college you
Speaker 1: went to, what size you are. If you're going to
Speaker 1: give us the best chance to win, you're gonna be
Speaker 1: on the field.
Speaker 3: Yes, And that's why I love football all because of that.
Speaker 4: And I believe then I treat football like I do
Speaker 4: in the business world now, Like I just that's like, I.
Speaker 3: Look who the head coaches, the head coach.
Speaker 4: I compare like who the CEO that's the head coach,
Speaker 4: or that's the owner, and then the people that are
Speaker 4: working undneath them. I'm like, all right, that's Julian as
Speaker 4: the wide receiver.
Speaker 3: That's me as the tight end. I just compare football
Speaker 3: to everything. Now. I love it.
Speaker 2: Real quick.
Speaker 1: A couple of things before we let you go, Brady
Speaker 1: calls you out of retirement. Was that all along and
Speaker 1: like the back of your head or was that one
Speaker 1: of those where one day you woke up and you're like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'll come to Tampa, let's do it.
Speaker 4: No, it was I kind of when I retired, I
Speaker 4: was a little beat up, and I knew the only
Speaker 4: way to get back to kind of myself is to
Speaker 4: get away from football.
Speaker 3: I didn't really want to retire. I just wanted to
Speaker 3: get away from football and I at.
Speaker 4: The moment, and I knew that the only way to
Speaker 4: do that was to retire, Like and I knew.
Speaker 3: It, and I needed a year off.
Speaker 4: And I was like, Okay, so if I take a
Speaker 4: year off and I don't retire, that's just going to
Speaker 4: be just havoc on myself.
Speaker 3: Why aren't you coming back all that? I was like,
Speaker 3: I'm just going to retire.
Speaker 2: Join us at Fox.
Speaker 3: Yeah, join you guys at Fox.
Speaker 4: And the back of my mind I knew I was like,
Speaker 4: if I had the right opportunity, I'm going to go
Speaker 4: back and play football.
Speaker 3: But if I don't, then I don't, you know.
Speaker 4: But it was more on that side that I wanted
Speaker 4: to go back and play and try a new experience,
Speaker 4: you know, and see what the situation was.
Speaker 3: And the right situation had to come up.
Speaker 4: And little do we know, a year later, look at
Speaker 4: that situation that came upon us, and that's when I
Speaker 4: was like, how can I pass up on that?
Speaker 3: Like it's a new opportunity.
Speaker 4: My mom lives in Florida, two hours away from Tampa.
Speaker 4: I always go down to Florida. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Speaker 4: I mean, I wrote an article about them when I
Speaker 4: was in college. I wanted to play in Tampa Bay
Speaker 4: for many reasons, and little did I know it came
Speaker 4: true freaking ten years later, which is great. I mean, no,
Speaker 4: like twelve years later, which is great. And it was
Speaker 4: just the right situation. I wasn't going to come out
Speaker 4: of retirement for just any old situation. That was the
Speaker 4: right situation, and I definitely felt like I made the
Speaker 4: right choice for sure.
Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting Brady's now out of football for
Speaker 1: the first time in my career, my professional life. I
Speaker 1: was in college when Brady was in college. It's kind
Speaker 1: of crazy. And now he's not playing this year, and
Speaker 1: it's so Brady. You consider him big brother, friend, mentor.
Speaker 2: Like when you hear Brady and I know, it's he's
Speaker 2: so much older than all these guys now. But it's
Speaker 2: a pretty cool guy too.
Speaker 3: He's great man.
Speaker 4: I love Tom, but I would consider all of those
Speaker 4: in the category. He's ABC and d mentor friend.
Speaker 3: He's kind of like daddy.
Speaker 4: You know, Daddy, what do we do here? And then
Speaker 4: like it's just a mentor is a game to you,
Speaker 4: and then he's your friend at the same time. So
Speaker 4: he's everything. Man, He's he's just a great guy overall.
Speaker 4: He's a great family man. It's just incredible just to
Speaker 4: see how great of a daddy is in real life
Speaker 4: to his kids while you know, being like a dad
Speaker 4: to all of.
Speaker 3: Us at the same time.
Speaker 4: So it's just an incredible job that he has done.
Speaker 4: And that's why I was such a great situation to
Speaker 4: go down the temple with him and and feel like,
Speaker 4: you know, he felt more comfortable too with myself going down.
Speaker 4: You know, imagine that you go to a new place
Speaker 4: and you have your your number one guy that you
Speaker 4: can just throw past to. You know, it just makes
Speaker 4: you feel more comfortable and more confident. So and we
Speaker 4: love Tampa, man. I love that front office in Tampa. Man,
Speaker 4: Jason Lay, Mike Greenberg, all of those guys, Many Greeny,
Speaker 4: They're they're fricking They're hilarious.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 4: I love I loved them and they always came out
Speaker 4: to practice and made me laugh and get me through
Speaker 4: practice every day.
Speaker 3: I loved it.
Speaker 2: It's great.
Speaker 1: We love those guys too, light, Greeny, Spy tech, Jackie Davidson,
Speaker 1: that whole crew. Like, they've got a great group there
Speaker 1: in Tampa. I know you're gonna be going in a
Speaker 1: little bit so real rapid fire stuff. First one, uh,
Speaker 1: cooler hang like when you're out at night, like who's
Speaker 1: who'd you rather?
Speaker 2: Is it Edelman or is it Brady? Like who's the
Speaker 2: guy you want to be with in the club?
Speaker 4: Well, definitely I would have to go with Edelman because
Speaker 4: I don't even think Tom's.
Speaker 3: Going to make the club.
Speaker 4: So seven is that Yeah, he's not making it to
Speaker 4: the club. So if I picked Tom, I'll just be
Speaker 4: there by myself.
Speaker 2: That yeah, Okay, that was that one.
Speaker 1: Tampa Bay Post, Brady Post, Gronk post all this this
Speaker 1: Baker could still be good.
Speaker 4: What do you think I think he'll I mean they
Speaker 4: got a good offense. They got a lot of weapons
Speaker 4: around them. I mean, with that new with that running
Speaker 4: back is going to be second year, then Evans, yeah,
Speaker 4: Rashad White, then Mike Evans, Chris Godwin.
Speaker 3: I mean, they got weapons.
Speaker 4: Mean, Mike Evans is one of the most underrated receivers
Speaker 4: in the NFL history, and he's had a thousand yards
Speaker 4: every single year. But I think he I think he
Speaker 4: does like decent, a little bit above average. You know,
Speaker 4: he's gonna it's going to extend his career a little bit.
Speaker 4: It's gonna maybe make him a starter I think for
Speaker 4: about three more years.
Speaker 3: But uh, he'll have.
Speaker 4: A decent year, but it's not going to be in
Speaker 4: a great year, but it's going to be a year
Speaker 4: where it solidifies him as being an NFL starter.
Speaker 3: Still.
Speaker 1: Last one, Jimmy Graham, as we're doing this recording, announced
Speaker 1: that he's returning to the NFL.
Speaker 2: Or he's been in the NFL.
Speaker 1: He hasn't retired, but at thirty six, is signing with
Speaker 1: the Saints two years away. Your advice to Jimmy Graham
Speaker 1: on his quest to get back.
Speaker 3: That's wild, man.
Speaker 4: That was mind blowing when you sent me that text
Speaker 4: message this morning.
Speaker 3: Thank you for breaking the news to me, Peter.
Speaker 4: But the reason why I can see this work for
Speaker 4: sure is because Jimmy Graham is a basketball player.
Speaker 3: He has a basketball background.
Speaker 4: And let me tell you, those basketball guys with basketball
Speaker 4: background they last forever. There's something just different built in them.
Speaker 4: It's just because of the way that they've been running
Speaker 4: around their whole life. I feel like they stay in
Speaker 4: shape for longer periods of time than football players, and
Speaker 4: having that basketball background, I feel I can make them
Speaker 4: last for a long time. And he must have been
Speaker 4: doing something right over the last two years as well
Speaker 4: that wants that is making him get back to the game.
Speaker 4: So I would just say the hitting aspect, I'll just
Speaker 4: get used to the hitting aspect in training camp and
Speaker 4: get some time off.
Speaker 3: You're thirty six years old.
Speaker 4: Get a day or two off so you can recover
Speaker 4: from all that, and I'll go out there and do
Speaker 4: your thing.
Speaker 3: Jimmy.
Speaker 4: I mean, you're not coming back because you don't think
Speaker 4: you can do it. Obviously you think you can do it,
Speaker 4: and that's why you're coming back.
Speaker 3: So do your thing. Man, be cheering for you. Man.
Speaker 4: It's kind of a little situation I kind of went through.
Speaker 4: But he did two years off, so maybe I'll do
Speaker 4: two years off now. They might be inspiration for me.
Speaker 4: So if he does well, I'm only thirty four, I'll
Speaker 4: be thirty five next year.
Speaker 3: After years, let's go. Let's go, Jimmy.
Speaker 4: Let's see what you got.
Speaker 1: My last one, we were at this big Fox event
Speaker 1: and everyone has to come in and take photographs. And
Speaker 1: it's one of these deals where it's like you see
Speaker 1: in these music video shoots where it's manufactured. There's like
Speaker 1: a fake wind machine and they're like, here, hold this football,
Speaker 1: and there's dance music going.
Speaker 2: There's this promo shooting.
Speaker 1: The energy was all right, and we're all going one
Speaker 1: by one and you know, Michael Vick is going up there,
Speaker 1: I'm going up there, and then.
Speaker 2: Chris is going up there.
Speaker 1: We bring it, We do our best, and you know,
Speaker 1: it's Glazer, it's everybody. And then there's this moment where
Speaker 1: you go up there and it's like all right, ground
Speaker 1: go and I see a different side of you, and
Speaker 1: it's like the lights are on and you're able to
Speaker 1: turn it on and you're the most charming guy to
Speaker 1: everybody in that room, and it's like the camera can't
Speaker 1: escape you, and I'm like, holy.
Speaker 2: In that moment, I'm like, that's it. That's the quality.
Speaker 2: That's what makes this guy so special. He's got this
Speaker 2: ability to just bring everybody in.
Speaker 1: I was in awe of watching you just having to
Speaker 1: like be gronk and it's I don't know if it's
Speaker 1: exhausting being that way every day.
Speaker 2: But it's authentic, man, it is you. What do you
Speaker 2: attribute that to?
Speaker 1: That ability to make everyone else feel great and to
Speaker 1: kind of just bring energy and happiness enjoying what you're doing.
Speaker 4: Peter, when the lights go on, I'm always ready baby.
Speaker 4: When it's showtime, one of his game time, I'm always.
Speaker 3: There, baby. And that's why Tom loves me. He always
Speaker 3: knows he can go to me, baby.
Speaker 4: Everyone knows they can go to me. That's why Fox
Speaker 4: call me because they know when that camera light switches on,
Speaker 4: we're live on air, the Gronk.
Speaker 3: Is gonna show up, baby, And that's what's up.
Speaker 1: I mean serious, Like if I'm a brand and I'm
Speaker 1: looking at all these different options, like I saw it
Speaker 1: in and like, I guess the USA has done stuff
Speaker 1: with You've done stuff with all these brands for years, But.
Speaker 3: Are you gonna turn it on? Peter By the I'm.
Speaker 2: Telling you, bro, it was like watch it.
Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, that's star quality. And I'm not knocking
Speaker 1: any of our colleagues, but it was like, Oh, that's Gronk,
Speaker 1: and I'm telling you that's that's natural.
Speaker 4: Everyone was acting like they were two big time for it.
Speaker 4: I was like but also I knew it was gonna
Speaker 4: be like three minutes. That's what's great about it. I
Speaker 4: was like, Okay, we got three minutes. I'll give them
Speaker 4: my best shot. That's why I love Fox too. It's
Speaker 4: like there's no BS downtime or sit around time. It's
Speaker 4: like when we're on, when we're on, when we're off,
Speaker 4: we're off. And I was like, all right, well, three
Speaker 4: minute photo shoot, I'll give you my best. Usually my
Speaker 4: photo shoots when i'm doing them for a brand or
Speaker 4: a company, the three four hours, so then that can
Speaker 4: get a little tighter.
Speaker 3: And I was like, three minutes. I'll give it my all, baby,
Speaker 3: let's go.
Speaker 2: There's so many jokes we can make. Gronk on that note.
Speaker 4: I gotta go get my girlfriend. I gotta go drive
Speaker 4: to a train station right now.
Speaker 3: That's what I'm doing.
Speaker 4: You asked me the first question, what am I doing?
Speaker 4: Am I?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 4: Am I downtime? Now I gotta go.
Speaker 3: Pick her up at the train station.
Speaker 1: Send our love to Camille. I love the fact that
Speaker 1: you joined the podcast. Bro, You're a great guest and
Speaker 1: a great dude. Thank you so much for joining.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Peter, Thanks thanks for having me. Man I'll
Speaker 4: see you f Fox this year. We're going to have
Speaker 4: a great time this year.
Speaker 2: To you as soon. Brother, there's Gronk. I mean, that's
Speaker 2: the Gronk experience. That was awesome.
Speaker 1: Forty minutes, a ton of energy, stories, vulgarity, tenderness. I'm
Speaker 1: bringing in our producer, Grace fuse Grace. You are in
Speaker 1: for Aaron Wang Kaufman, who is world traveling at the
Speaker 1: start of training camps. Not ideal for an NFL podcast producer.
Speaker 1: You are at work today, How are you doing?
Speaker 2: I'm good? How are you great?
Speaker 1: What did you think of the Rob Gronkowski experience we
Speaker 1: just endured.
Speaker 5: I thought he was hilarious. I loved it so many highlights.
Speaker 2: Great, right, and that's him, Like, that's authentic.
Speaker 1: It's not like he suddenly becomes like a bookish like like, Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm just going to be rude to people like he's
Speaker 1: that way, And I think that authenticity is so real
Speaker 1: and I so appreciate it.
Speaker 5: Absolutely great vibes.
Speaker 1: He did mention he wrote an article in college about
Speaker 1: wanting to be a Tampa Bay buccaneer. I know you're
Speaker 1: very good in research. Do you have the microfiche out?
Speaker 1: Have you found said article that.
Speaker 5: What do you think he I think he meant paper.
Speaker 5: I actually I did do some searching. I tried to
Speaker 5: find the Gronk article. I did not find anything.
Speaker 1: So I'm ordering the Arizona school paper. It's the University
Speaker 1: of Arizona. Question, that's the school paper. The school paper
Speaker 1: is the Daily Wildcat. Wow, I think he probably.
Speaker 2: Meant a paper.
Speaker 5: I think he meant a paper. Yeah, I'm curious what
Speaker 5: class would be relevant for that, but I really hope
Speaker 5: that he has it in his file somewhere.
Speaker 2: And this is the best part about the season. He
Speaker 2: tells an amazing story about Earl.
Speaker 1: Thomas, you know, Hernie, eating his disc and puncturing as long.
Speaker 1: He gives us really good insight on what it was like,
Speaker 1: you know, going to a contract negotiation with Belichick. And
Speaker 1: yet the whole time, in the back of my mind,
Speaker 1: I'm like, what is he talking about? That he wrote
Speaker 1: a paper that he wanted in college about wanting to be.
Speaker 2: A teddy buccaneer. I gosh, I would love.
Speaker 1: To find out if he meant article paper mentioned it
Speaker 1: once or I don't.
Speaker 2: Know, but that is uh, that is awesome.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited, so Grenk's gonna be taking on a
Speaker 1: bigger role with Fox NFL Sunday. He did a lot
Speaker 1: at the end of the season last year. And I'm
Speaker 1: telling you it's like I wasn't yes sing when I
Speaker 1: said that great, Like, he just has this amazing electricity
Speaker 1: to him.
Speaker 2: And you know those people in the world that like
Speaker 2: you're in the room, like, oh, I get it. Absolutely,
Speaker 2: he's got it.
Speaker 1: You've got it too. That was a good contribution just now. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: I was waiting for you to have this prop prophetic.
Speaker 2: No, I'm sorry, I didn't have anything.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he's super cool.
Speaker 2: He's cool guy, cool guy.
Speaker 1: This podcast was awesome. We are excited to be back
Speaker 1: most of us. Aaron, I'll get back next week. I'm
Speaker 1: just busting chops. Grace, great job as always. I know
Speaker 1: you've been working on this podcast for a while.
Speaker 2: It's cool to have you on the mic. Yeah.
Speaker 5: Always fun to you know, be here for the for
Speaker 5: the recording.
Speaker 2: Let's go on behalf of Grace myself, Jason Ing.
Speaker 1: She was also listening in and all the NFL network folks,
Speaker 1: and of course our guest who was awesome, Rob Gronkowski.
Speaker 1: We'll be with you guys next week. I hope you
Speaker 1: enjoyed this episode of the Season with Peter Schrager. Tell
Speaker 1: your friends, subscribe, let's get some listener numbers up, and
Speaker 1: let's blow this thing out this season till next week.
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1: The Season with Peter Schrager is a production of the
Speaker 1: NFL and partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.