WEBVTT - Andrew Whitworth

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<v Speaker 1>I never lowed anybody get me off the graham, so

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<v Speaker 1>I was like super just obsessive, ain'tal about that, Like

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<v Speaker 1>I know, if I was gonna work out or I'm

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<v Speaker 1>on the field, I get up myself, like, don't put

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<v Speaker 1>your hand out there, because you're gonna think I'm an asshole.

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<v Speaker 1>Like I'm not gonna take it. But I just don't.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't. Nobody gets me off the ground with me.

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<v Speaker 1>If I'm gonna beat thirty something years old playing football,

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<v Speaker 1>I gotta get my own butt off the ground. And

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<v Speaker 1>I realize I signed up for this time. My name

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<v Speaker 1>is Andrew Whitworth, and I'm hoping to one day finish

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<v Speaker 1>in the top twenty in American century.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, folks, it's that time again for what you might

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<v Speaker 2>ask for another episode of Off the Beat. This is

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<v Speaker 2>Brian BOMGARTNERI the season, my friends, ho ho ho, or

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<v Speaker 2>well just about the season, and yes I do mean

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<v Speaker 2>the most wonderful time of the year. That's right, it's

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<v Speaker 2>football season. Dun dun, dun, dun. You could call me Santa,

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<v Speaker 2>because today I have a present for you, A giant present,

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<v Speaker 2>by the way, six foot seven inch three thirty Andrew

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<v Speaker 2>Whitworth joins the program today. Former offensive lineman Andrew retired

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<v Speaker 2>last year after sixteen seasons battling in the trenches in

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<v Speaker 2>the NFL, first with the Cincinnati Bengals, last with the

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<v Speaker 2>LA Rams. And well, when I tell you his exit

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<v Speaker 2>from the game was like a movie, Well it was

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<v Speaker 2>picture this Andrew. He's in his sixteenth year in the game.

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<v Speaker 2>He's forty years old, the oldest tackle in NFL history.

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<v Speaker 2>His team, the Rams, make it to the Super Bowl,

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<v Speaker 2>which just so happens to be hosted in their very

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<v Speaker 2>own hometown of Los Angeles. The opponent is none other

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<v Speaker 2>than his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a close game,

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<v Speaker 2>both teams leading, falling behind. Anyone could win until the

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<v Speaker 2>last two minutes. The Rams score one more touchdown and

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<v Speaker 2>Andrew wins his first Super Bowl in the very last

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<v Speaker 2>game of his career. Okay, I need to write the screenplay. Nowadays,

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<v Speaker 2>you can catch Andrew Fantastic pregame, halftime and postgame show

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<v Speaker 2>on Thursday Night Football Amazon Prime. The crew is fantastic.

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<v Speaker 2>Andrew is fantastic, or sometimes you can find him on

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<v Speaker 2>the golf course with me, more at home with his

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<v Speaker 2>family and actually don't catch him at home with his family.

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<v Speaker 2>That's creepy. But you can listen to him with me

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<v Speaker 2>right now here. He is my old pal Andrew Whitworth.

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<v Speaker 2>Bubble and Squeak.

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<v Speaker 1>I love it.

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<v Speaker 2>Bubble and squeak, gonna.

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<v Speaker 1>Bubble and squeak, I cook get every moleft over from

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<v Speaker 1>the nine before.

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<v Speaker 2>What what's up? But I'm in. How's it going?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, it's going just chaos as usual.

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<v Speaker 2>How are you enjoying retirement?

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<v Speaker 1>Uh, you know what, It's been great. I actually had

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<v Speaker 1>this conversation yesterday with Ryan Clark. I feel like I'm

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<v Speaker 1>insanely busier now than when I played. I think you

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<v Speaker 1>think of being busy because you have the structure and

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<v Speaker 1>you're there all day. But this is just organized chaos

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<v Speaker 1>every day. It's like, you know, a kid needs this,

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<v Speaker 1>so they got to be at that. You know, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>an uber driver who doesn't get paid. And then on

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<v Speaker 1>top of that kind of getting into the media world

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<v Speaker 1>and doing stuff with you know, Thursday Football, and then

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<v Speaker 1>also still kind of doing some stuff here in LA

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<v Speaker 1>with the rams and things like that. It's been a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of fun. But it feels like I start weeks

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<v Speaker 1>with like, oh man, it's gonna be a pretty slow week.

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<v Speaker 1>And then the next thing I know, it's like I

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<v Speaker 1>don't have a free minute this week.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know how this happen right right, Well, I

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<v Speaker 2>should have said retirement from football. We are going to

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<v Speaker 2>talk about your media standing for Thursday Night Football, which

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<v Speaker 2>is absolutely blown up with you guys last year, thanks

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<v Speaker 2>in large part to your edition. But this time of year,

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<v Speaker 2>I have to ask you. You know we're here in August.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you miss hitting guys on the field. Do you

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<v Speaker 2>have any like feeling of, oh, this is what I

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<v Speaker 2>should be doing right now, or I miss it or

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<v Speaker 2>I'm really glad I'm not. Is there any of those

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<v Speaker 2>feelings happening now that training camps are in full swing.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll tell you what. Last year I went to the

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<v Speaker 1>I just retired in March. I go to like the

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<v Speaker 1>third fourth day in training camp for the Rams. Kevin

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<v Speaker 1>Demoff and Shane kind of reached out, you need to

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<v Speaker 1>come down, just be around and hang out, be around

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<v Speaker 1>the guys. I go. I made a big mistake. I

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<v Speaker 1>decided I would go down you know the Rams practice

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<v Speaker 1>at U See Irvine. I'm like, you know what, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>gonna go down there and get a nice hotel. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>gonna go buy rams practice, just enjoy two days to

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<v Speaker 1>myself down there. Give me nice can I get away?

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<v Speaker 1>I stay at the Montage Laguna, I check in, I

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<v Speaker 1>go over to practice, probably fifteen to twenty minute ride.

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<v Speaker 1>I probably see them warm up in full pads. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>five minutes into this practice. I'm standing there and I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna go back to the Mintage. I literally watched

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<v Speaker 1>them like break individual. I've been there ten minutes. I

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<v Speaker 1>shake Kevin dem Off's hand. I'm like, it was great, man.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope you guys every great year. I'm going back

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<v Speaker 1>to the hotel. Literally like took off, never came back,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was I just had that feeling like, you

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<v Speaker 1>know what, I don't miss this at all. I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to sit by the pool like hang out. And then

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<v Speaker 1>this year I went to three days of camp and

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a similar feeling. I was able to actually

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<v Speaker 1>stay there because I've been you know, out long enough

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<v Speaker 1>that it didn't just make me completely grossed out to

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<v Speaker 1>watch everybody sweating in pads and just think, oh man,

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<v Speaker 1>what it would feel like to hit somebody right now.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd be miserable but I actually stayed a couple of days.

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<v Speaker 1>Was great. But I don't miss that part of the

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<v Speaker 1>game at all. I mean obviously for alive, and it's different,

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<v Speaker 1>like you know, we we kind of we weren't scoring

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<v Speaker 1>touchdowns or throwing passes or getting applauded for you know,

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<v Speaker 1>a sack or interception. We were kind of in the trenches,

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<v Speaker 1>just digging it out every day. And the only time

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<v Speaker 1>you're gonna hear about us is if we messed up.

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<v Speaker 1>So I don't miss that that part at all.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, you mentioned doing some work with the ramp. Are

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<v Speaker 2>you're actively working with the Rams currently?

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<v Speaker 1>I wouldn't say that. I think it's more of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I have such a great relationship with Sean. Him and

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<v Speaker 1>I are best friends, and uh, you know, really spent

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time together in the off seasons throughout

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<v Speaker 1>my times as Los Angeles RAM, and then still now

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<v Speaker 1>talk a couple of times a week every week, and

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<v Speaker 1>so we just philosophy a lot and talk about culture

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<v Speaker 1>and team in the NFL and where it's headed that.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, he's a great resource for me now and

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<v Speaker 1>what I'm doing. And then also I thank me for

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<v Speaker 1>him just kind of things out here and feelings we

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<v Speaker 1>both have about the game. We've always been that way

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<v Speaker 1>since he was the coach of the Rams. We've spent

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time together around that stuff. So I

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<v Speaker 1>just kind of I call it a friend of the program.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's one of those things, like, you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>still have a real lot of really close friends there

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<v Speaker 1>and all that staff you know in the building, from

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<v Speaker 1>the trainers and equipment guys and coaches in front office.

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<v Speaker 1>So I spent a lot of time with them and

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<v Speaker 1>just help where I can. If they got a question,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll go up there and do my best to help

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<v Speaker 1>out anyway I can spread some knowledge. Like this year

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<v Speaker 1>at camp I did, they had a scouting deal where

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<v Speaker 1>I went and talked to all the scouts at their

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<v Speaker 1>little summit about offensive line play and d line play

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<v Speaker 1>and kind of what I see.

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<v Speaker 2>So it makes that makes a lot of sense. I.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, it is surprising to me always that organizations

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<v Speaker 2>and coaches don't that they don't take advantage as much

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<v Speaker 2>as they should. It feels like everybody kind of stays

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<v Speaker 2>in their lane a little bit. And having a resource

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<v Speaker 2>like you as an offensive lineman, it seems to me

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<v Speaker 2>that you would be an incredible resource for the defense

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<v Speaker 2>and for the defensive line play because nobody sees and

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<v Speaker 2>understands what those guys are doing across from you in

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<v Speaker 2>some ways better than you.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Yeah, I always explained that I actually talked about

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<v Speaker 1>it the scouting deal. I mean, for me as an

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<v Speaker 1>offensive lineman, you know, you got to think like I'm

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<v Speaker 1>studying the best rushers. I'm studying the best players in

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<v Speaker 1>the NFL each and every week and breaking down how

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<v Speaker 1>I could stop them. So I can tell you from

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<v Speaker 1>my perspective, like, yeah, maybe maybe I didn't play the position,

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<v Speaker 1>but I can tell you, well, I know what move

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<v Speaker 1>works and I know what doesn't for this guy, and

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<v Speaker 1>then based off his body type, what rushes really seen

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<v Speaker 1>to work for those body types, And those guys gave

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<v Speaker 1>me the most trouble because they were able to do X,

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<v Speaker 1>Y and Z, and the guys who tried to do

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<v Speaker 1>this or that it didn't work, and that never was

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<v Speaker 1>something that I really feared or thought was useful. So

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<v Speaker 1>I could give you a lot of feedback on all

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<v Speaker 1>the different body types they're looking at, tall, smaller, faster, twitchier, power,

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<v Speaker 1>all that, and then kind of who I thought was

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<v Speaker 1>really the best and who did it the best. And hey,

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<v Speaker 1>even from a coaching perspective of if you're teaching a

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<v Speaker 1>guy that has a very similar body to an Elvis

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<v Speaker 1>Duomerville or a James Harrison or a Dwight Freeney, I

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<v Speaker 1>can tell you the things that those guys who play

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<v Speaker 1>with the shorter lever, what they did that was effective

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe some ways they should watch tape to study

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<v Speaker 1>some of those things. Or if it's Chandler Jones or

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<v Speaker 1>Miles Garrett or somebody you'd see as like a longer,

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<v Speaker 1>taller player, what they did that was effective. And I

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<v Speaker 1>think that feedback's very useful. But I think to your point,

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<v Speaker 1>the crazy part is is, I don't know. I talked

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<v Speaker 1>to so many guys that just would love to share

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<v Speaker 1>that information, but it's just not used as much as

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<v Speaker 1>you would think.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I wonder why that. I mean, I had

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<v Speaker 2>not planned to have this discussion, But there is a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of parallels I think, you know, in my business,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly when you get to the network level, where there

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<v Speaker 2>seems to be this like ownership or this like taking

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<v Speaker 2>credit for even if it's not even if it's not

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<v Speaker 2>forefront in their mind, Like you know, I want to

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<v Speaker 2>put my stamp on things as opposed to this sort

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<v Speaker 2>of overall team culture of let's just let's just make

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<v Speaker 2>it the best, Like you know, and if you got

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<v Speaker 2>Andrew Whitworth on the offensive line and you've got some

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<v Speaker 2>questions as a defensive line coach or defensive lineman, yet

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<v Speaker 2>it just it makes so much sense to me.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think that's one of the things that's in

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<v Speaker 1>every business, I think a little bit, especially you know,

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<v Speaker 1>like you're parallel and it's it's kind of like, is

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<v Speaker 1>it an ego decision, like, hey, I don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>ask somebody who may know more than me about it,

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<v Speaker 1>or is it kind of a I don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>owe you something if I ask you a favor to

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<v Speaker 1>kind of share, you know. It's just funny. It's like, man,

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<v Speaker 1>I think sometimes it's like why not just have this

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<v Speaker 1>conversation and find out? And I think that's what most

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<v Speaker 1>guys that I've talked to. It's not really whether you'd

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<v Speaker 1>use it or not. It's like, dude, stop treating it

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<v Speaker 1>like it's unapproachable to discuss, Like, let's talk about it.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a way I can help you. I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to come back to the team I played

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<v Speaker 1>for and help them in some way find the next

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<v Speaker 1>good player, a great player for them.

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<v Speaker 2>Right. All right, let's go back in time for you

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit. You grew up there in Monroe, Louisiana.

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<v Speaker 2>What was your life like as a kid down on

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<v Speaker 2>the Bayou Funrow Monroe.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you know, it's quiet in Monroe, Louisiana. Not

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<v Speaker 1>not the big, big city that I live in now

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<v Speaker 1>in LA that's for sure. I you know, for me, honestly,

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<v Speaker 1>it was great. You know, I had, you know, a

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<v Speaker 1>great family, great great life living there with a small

0:11:57.440 --> 0:11:59.920
<v Speaker 1>town very different than what I've experienced as an adult

0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:02.600
<v Speaker 1>to an athlete. But I really got the blessing of

0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:04.840
<v Speaker 1>being around some great football I mean I played against,

0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:08.040
<v Speaker 1>I played with some really special players there in Monroe,

0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:09.520
<v Speaker 1>and you know, I got to be part of a

0:12:09.559 --> 0:12:11.880
<v Speaker 1>really cool high school program. We were fifty eight and

0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:14.120
<v Speaker 1>two when I was in high school and football and played.

0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:18.360
<v Speaker 1>We played people in Mississippi and Texas and you know,

0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:20.880
<v Speaker 1>the five A state champion in Mississippi and Texas my

0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.360
<v Speaker 1>senior year and went undefeated. And you know, we played

0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.280
<v Speaker 1>against Midland Lee and Cedric Benson and Eric Winston when

0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.840
<v Speaker 1>they were at Middle of Lee Texas and played John

0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:34.280
<v Speaker 1>Tyler Texas. We played Moss Pointe, Mississippi, and Demarius Bilbo

0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:37.359
<v Speaker 1>and some of those great players that were in that program.

0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:39.920
<v Speaker 1>So I got to experience some really cool things. Kyle

0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:42.360
<v Speaker 1>Williams who played forever for the Buffalo Bills and was

0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.160
<v Speaker 1>an amazing golfer. Him and I were high school rivals

0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:48.040
<v Speaker 1>our two high schools, so we grew up playing each

0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:51.360
<v Speaker 1>other forever, became college roommates. Hated each other's scuts in

0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:54.640
<v Speaker 1>high school though, you know, so I had a lot

0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:56.680
<v Speaker 1>of great sports memories living in that town. It was,

0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.520
<v Speaker 1>It was amazing for me. My parents were always a

0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:01.800
<v Speaker 1>part of that, and my older sister Emily, and so

0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:04.320
<v Speaker 1>I can't complain at all about my childhood.

0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.000
<v Speaker 2>Were was your family into football like when you were

0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:08.839
<v Speaker 2>growing up? Yeah?

0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:10.600
<v Speaker 1>I think my family has always kind of been into

0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:12.520
<v Speaker 1>sports in general. I mean, you know, I can remember

0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:16.400
<v Speaker 1>my grandfather and my grandmother's probably my grandmother Kathleen and

0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.440
<v Speaker 1>Baste of Louisiana probably had the biggest influence on me.

0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:22.040
<v Speaker 1>And I could remember from when I was really tiny

0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.679
<v Speaker 1>either watching golf or football or baseball. I think probably

0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:27.160
<v Speaker 1>when I was younger. They all thought I'd be a

0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:30.360
<v Speaker 1>baseball player, and so that was kind of what everyone

0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:32.640
<v Speaker 1>was their biggest passion. And then obviously I was, you

0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:34.600
<v Speaker 1>know in that area in North Louisiana, you're you were

0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:36.800
<v Speaker 1>a Dallas Cowboy at that time. That was long before

0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:39.679
<v Speaker 1>the Saints were the Aints with trash bags on their

0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:40.559
<v Speaker 1>heads back home.

0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:42.840
<v Speaker 2>I was, I was going to ask you that. So

0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:44.240
<v Speaker 2>you were a Cowboys fan?

0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:47.959
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, okay, time I mean North Louisiana where I'm from.

0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:50.480
<v Speaker 1>I mean, you're only three hours from Dallas. You know,

0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:53.600
<v Speaker 1>it's probably five hours to New Orleans. So, uh, most

0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:55.480
<v Speaker 1>people up in that area that was when the Saints

0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:58.920
<v Speaker 1>were pretty bad and growing up, so everybody were Dallas

0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:03.400
<v Speaker 1>Cowboys fans. Eigman Jersey and the Went Smith Jersey, Michael Irvan, Uh,

0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:04.720
<v Speaker 1>you know that was that was my squad.

0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:08.560
<v Speaker 2>Now you you say your family thought you were going

0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:12.280
<v Speaker 2>to play baseball, When did you grow So I was.

0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:13.920
<v Speaker 1>More of a you gotta imagine high school, like, I

0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:15.800
<v Speaker 1>was a tight end for the majority of my time

0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:19.360
<v Speaker 1>until until my senior year. So I was probably six

0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:24.760
<v Speaker 1>seven to twenty or something. My freshman or sophomore year

0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:27.360
<v Speaker 1>in high school. I mean I was tall and lean and.

0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:29.960
<v Speaker 2>It just six seven. Yeah, I was. I was.

0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:32.280
<v Speaker 1>I was probably six four in eighth grade, and then

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.200
<v Speaker 1>my freshman year in high school, I grew like three

0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:37.480
<v Speaker 1>inches and then that kind of topped out my height

0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:38.640
<v Speaker 1>and then I just kind of put it on the

0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:40.840
<v Speaker 1>way from there and became alignment. But you know, I

0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:42.920
<v Speaker 1>was a basketball player. I loved hoops. That was my

0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.600
<v Speaker 1>favorite sport. And I was a baseball I was left

0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.640
<v Speaker 1>I'm left handed, so I was a left handed pitcher.

0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:53.720
<v Speaker 1>I played it all growing up. I mean I played tennis, soccer, baseball, football,

0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:57.160
<v Speaker 1>you name it. So baseball and football were probably the

0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:58.920
<v Speaker 1>two things that I got the most, Like, man, you're

0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:02.360
<v Speaker 1>really gonna have a chance at this. Basketball is something

0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:04.000
<v Speaker 1>I just love to do. I've always had a passion

0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:05.480
<v Speaker 1>for it, even when I played in the league. In

0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.280
<v Speaker 1>the off seasons, I played little men's pick up leagues

0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:09.760
<v Speaker 1>and stuff like that, just because it was something I

0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:10.520
<v Speaker 1>always loved to do.

0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:16.160
<v Speaker 2>It's surprising you were highly recruited coming out of high

0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:19.160
<v Speaker 2>school at being at the program that you were. It's

0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:21.000
<v Speaker 2>surprising to me that you didn't go to a real

0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:23.800
<v Speaker 2>school like the University of Georgia. You settled for LSU.

0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:27.480
<v Speaker 2>Talk to me a little bit about that decision to

0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:29.360
<v Speaker 2>go to LSU.

0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:32.480
<v Speaker 1>Well, what's wilder and even better is that I actually

0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.120
<v Speaker 1>originally committed to the University of Florida and I was

0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:37.720
<v Speaker 1>going to be a Florida Gator, which I know, it

0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:38.680
<v Speaker 1>really fires.

0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:39.840
<v Speaker 2>Me up now, that would be worse.

0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And so I was going to be a Florida Gator.

0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:44.960
<v Speaker 1>Steve Spurrier was there. You know, they were really good.

0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:48.960
<v Speaker 1>Fred Taylor and Danny Wirfel and those guys. And yeah,

0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:52.000
<v Speaker 1>this guy, a little old dude from the north named

0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:55.600
<v Speaker 1>Nick Saban took the LSU head coaching job and came

0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:58.400
<v Speaker 1>to my living room with my family and convinced me

0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:01.600
<v Speaker 1>that I needed to be an LSU Tiger because it

0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:03.320
<v Speaker 1>wasn't going to be a four year decision. He was

0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:04.960
<v Speaker 1>going to be a forty year decision. It was going

0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:08.120
<v Speaker 1>to change my life for the rest of my time

0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.520
<v Speaker 1>in the state of Louisiana and lo and behold, I

0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:13.560
<v Speaker 1>mean he was right. I mean, he was probably the

0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:15.520
<v Speaker 1>only coach to always go back to this when I

0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.760
<v Speaker 1>was when I was coming up, I really wanted to

0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.920
<v Speaker 1>be a tight end. So Houston up was at Arkansas,

0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:24.160
<v Speaker 1>Steve Spurry was in Florida. Both played really big tight ends,

0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.720
<v Speaker 1>like Sean Andrews played the umevers of Arkansas big right

0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:29.560
<v Speaker 1>tackle there. Well, the guy who played beside him was

0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:31.800
<v Speaker 1>Jason Peters, who's one of the best left tackles ever

0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.040
<v Speaker 1>played in the NFL. He was a tight end at Arkansas.

0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:37.680
<v Speaker 1>So I wanted to go be a big tight end there.

0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:40.080
<v Speaker 1>That was kind of this tween yer tackle tight end guy,

0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:42.440
<v Speaker 1>and so I was trying to kind of choose in

0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.560
<v Speaker 1>schools that played with bigger tight ends. Nick Saban sat

0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:47.240
<v Speaker 1>me down in my living room and he's like, listen,

0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.600
<v Speaker 1>the sooner you give up your dream to play tight end,

0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:53.920
<v Speaker 1>you're going to head towards your future of having an

0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.920
<v Speaker 1>amazing football career. And I was just like, wow, this

0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.480
<v Speaker 1>dude just walked in my living room and told me

0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 1>that I'm not gonna to be my dream, like I'm

0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:04.520
<v Speaker 1>not reaching my dream. But really he was started telling

0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.720
<v Speaker 1>what my dream should be, right, and sure enough he

0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:09.800
<v Speaker 1>was right. I mean, I moved to tackle my senior

0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:11.960
<v Speaker 1>year because of him. I decided I'd move inside and

0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:14.320
<v Speaker 1>play tackle at my senior year at West Monroe and

0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:16.480
<v Speaker 1>then the rest is history. I went on to go

0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:20.240
<v Speaker 1>to LSU and break the all time start record NCAA history,

0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:21.800
<v Speaker 1>and win a national championship.

0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:25.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, did he mention that left tackles make more money

0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:26.080
<v Speaker 2>than tight ends.

0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.560
<v Speaker 1>I'm just curious he could have got He could have

0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:33.840
<v Speaker 1>easily just started with that, but you know, he decided

0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:35.880
<v Speaker 1>to kind of come in strong and like, hey man,

0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:37.680
<v Speaker 1>I'm just gonna be really upfront with you, like you're

0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.840
<v Speaker 1>gonna play left tackle for the LSU Tigers if you

0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:42.159
<v Speaker 1>come here and you're gonna have an amazing career.

0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:46.080
<v Speaker 2>You were red shirted your freshman year. There was that

0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:47.080
<v Speaker 2>frustrating for you.

0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:49.399
<v Speaker 1>It was there was a number of us in my

0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:51.960
<v Speaker 1>class that you know, we had, I guess five all

0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:55.360
<v Speaker 1>Americans that I played with that I signed with, Marcus Spears,

0:17:55.400 --> 0:18:01.040
<v Speaker 1>Michael Clayton, Marquise Hill, and Ben Wilkerson and we all

0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:03.159
<v Speaker 1>signed the same class. Some of us read shirt or

0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:05.600
<v Speaker 1>some ups didn't, and it was, you know, kind of

0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.439
<v Speaker 1>one of those things that they knew they weren't going

0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:09.439
<v Speaker 1>to be. Probably, you know, you got to think when

0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:11.040
<v Speaker 1>you take over a guy like Nick who's got kind

0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:13.000
<v Speaker 1>of a plan for the future, you don't know who's

0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.960
<v Speaker 1>gonna really help them that year and whether they'd actually

0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.640
<v Speaker 1>be that good. But we knew in the coming years

0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:20.879
<v Speaker 1>we had a chance to be really special, so he

0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.840
<v Speaker 1>tried his best to keep most of us. I unfortunately

0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:25.960
<v Speaker 1>has always say had the worst Red shirt experience you

0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.920
<v Speaker 1>can have, because he always thought like, you're one play

0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:32.000
<v Speaker 1>for me, putting you in there and being the left tackle.

0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:36.040
<v Speaker 1>So I had to dress out preparing to start every

0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:40.000
<v Speaker 1>single week. Never once touched the field like taped up

0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:43.320
<v Speaker 1>ready to roll, you know, all my freshman buddies or

0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:47.159
<v Speaker 1>in tiger Land upside down, you know, taking shots at everclear.

0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:50.640
<v Speaker 1>You're sending me text messages and calls and everything else,

0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:52.399
<v Speaker 1>and believe it or not, there I don't think you

0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.080
<v Speaker 1>could photo message at that time, so I wasn't getting

0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.119
<v Speaker 1>any photos. But they were, you know, filling me in

0:18:57.160 --> 0:18:59.600
<v Speaker 1>on what their antics were, and I'm just sitting there, like, man,

0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:01.440
<v Speaker 1>I got to go to the game and I'm gonna

0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:04.720
<v Speaker 1>stand there. I wasn't that happy, I'll say it that way.

0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:07.480
<v Speaker 1>My freshman fall was a frustrating fall.

0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:12.280
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you were ranked six and perspective offensive lineman going

0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:16.160
<v Speaker 2>into college, you you go there, you get red shirted.

0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:20.159
<v Speaker 2>But obviously you believe King Saban that you have a

0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.679
<v Speaker 2>long future ahead of you. Are you at this point

0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:27.480
<v Speaker 2>are you all in on what your future is going

0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.800
<v Speaker 2>to be. Do you have a plan B there at

0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:34.080
<v Speaker 2>LSU or you just we're going to do this and

0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:36.359
<v Speaker 2>we're going to go to the NFL. No.

0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:38.600
<v Speaker 1>I don't think I was somebody that dreamed that big.

0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:40.800
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I you know, I grew up with My

0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:44.440
<v Speaker 1>mom was a school teacher for thirty seven years. My

0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:47.400
<v Speaker 1>dad's a computer programmer, like back in the day if

0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:50.000
<v Speaker 1>like you know, the black screen with a little dots

0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:53.440
<v Speaker 1>on it, and he sat in an office with no windows.

0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:55.560
<v Speaker 1>And my mom was a you know, school teacher and

0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:57.560
<v Speaker 1>ended up being like the school librarian at the end

0:19:57.600 --> 0:20:01.919
<v Speaker 1>of her career. We were very simple, and you know,

0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.000
<v Speaker 1>it's not like I never liked, man, I didn't have

0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:05.800
<v Speaker 1>stuff on the table or anything. But I lived a

0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:09.919
<v Speaker 1>very simple life and you know, never really dreamed of

0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:12.960
<v Speaker 1>anything bigger than that. So when I was in school, honestly,

0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:15.320
<v Speaker 1>it was like, man, I'm just trying to be really,

0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.359
<v Speaker 1>I was real competitive, Like I wanted to start. I

0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:20.080
<v Speaker 1>wanted to play on the football team, and I wanted

0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.200
<v Speaker 1>to be really good, and I love to like get

0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:25.560
<v Speaker 1>after it. I wanted to always like punish myself and

0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:28.199
<v Speaker 1>work some hard and fight and tussle with people like

0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:30.720
<v Speaker 1>I love that. But I never really had a dream

0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:33.000
<v Speaker 1>of like what does that mean after this? And so

0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:35.040
<v Speaker 1>for me, it was always like, man if I fail

0:20:35.080 --> 0:20:39.000
<v Speaker 1>at this, I'll go coach or teach or do something

0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:40.920
<v Speaker 1>like that, just because I love people and I love

0:20:40.960 --> 0:20:44.399
<v Speaker 1>pouring into people and I've always been relational that way,

0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:48.240
<v Speaker 1>and so I really didn't have any dreams bigger than

0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:50.359
<v Speaker 1>just trying to make it, you know, out on the

0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:53.520
<v Speaker 1>football field and be a starter for LSU Tigers. That

0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:53.960
<v Speaker 1>was that was it?

0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:59.679
<v Speaker 2>Well I did I did read here that to your

0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:05.280
<v Speaker 2>point in your LSU career, you missed one practice, which

0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:09.560
<v Speaker 2>was to attend your own graduation. So I would say

0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:13.840
<v Speaker 2>that's that's pretty committed. You stayed out of the well

0:21:14.080 --> 0:21:18.680
<v Speaker 2>the ever clear dens. There you go from red shirting

0:21:18.680 --> 0:21:21.320
<v Speaker 2>your freshman year, you end up being a second round

0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:26.239
<v Speaker 2>draft pick going into the NFL. At what point do

0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:29.880
<v Speaker 2>you realize that's going to happen? You don't have dreams

0:21:29.880 --> 0:21:31.960
<v Speaker 2>of it, You're being simple, but like, at what point

0:21:32.000 --> 0:21:34.440
<v Speaker 2>do you go oh, okay, we're gonna do this thing.

0:21:34.880 --> 0:21:38.080
<v Speaker 1>After we won the national championship, my red shirt sophomore year,

0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:41.960
<v Speaker 1>there's my second year starting. Nick Saban brings me in

0:21:41.960 --> 0:21:43.959
<v Speaker 1>his office, and I'll never forget this because it's it's

0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:45.760
<v Speaker 1>kind of those things you always go back to, like,

0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:47.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, I'm sure you did it, like a decision

0:21:47.480 --> 0:21:49.280
<v Speaker 1>where you're like, you take a job or you don't,

0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:50.879
<v Speaker 1>or you make a decision you don't. You're like, man,

0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:53.560
<v Speaker 1>I wonder where I would have ended up had I

0:21:53.600 --> 0:21:56.440
<v Speaker 1>decided to do that, or maybe said no or yes,

0:21:56.520 --> 0:21:58.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, And so that for me, that's that moment

0:21:58.760 --> 0:22:02.120
<v Speaker 1>he brings me in his office. Never even thought really

0:22:02.119 --> 0:22:04.320
<v Speaker 1>about the NFL. I thought of the NFL as like wow,

0:22:04.400 --> 0:22:07.360
<v Speaker 1>that's insane level of football and not like, oh man,

0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:09.680
<v Speaker 1>I'm going to get there, right And I go into

0:22:09.680 --> 0:22:11.880
<v Speaker 1>his office and he's like, hey, man, you've played two years,

0:22:11.920 --> 0:22:15.240
<v Speaker 1>you red shirted. You know you could explore the draft

0:22:15.280 --> 0:22:17.720
<v Speaker 1>if you wanted, you know, you know, I think you

0:22:17.800 --> 0:22:21.359
<v Speaker 1>should submit your papers and get like, you know, people

0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:23.160
<v Speaker 1>that don't know that you can submit to the league

0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:24.920
<v Speaker 1>and the scouts give you a score where they think

0:22:24.920 --> 0:22:27.520
<v Speaker 1>you'll be drafted and that's what helps kids make their decision.

0:22:28.480 --> 0:22:30.479
<v Speaker 1>And so I got mine back and it was like

0:22:30.520 --> 0:22:35.000
<v Speaker 1>a second or third round rating, and he's like, you

0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:36.639
<v Speaker 1>do what you want to do, but I wanted you

0:22:36.680 --> 0:22:38.760
<v Speaker 1>to get this. And I've always thought it was like

0:22:38.840 --> 0:22:41.440
<v Speaker 1>I couldn't understand if he like didn't like me or

0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:43.119
<v Speaker 1>like what's going on, because it's like it seemed like

0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:44.919
<v Speaker 1>we loved each other, you know, he loved me in

0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:46.440
<v Speaker 1>the player, I was just like, are you trying to

0:22:46.440 --> 0:22:48.679
<v Speaker 1>push me out the door? And I think he like

0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:51.520
<v Speaker 1>honestly wanted me to explore, like, hey man, you need

0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:54.920
<v Speaker 1>to realize how good you are at this, and like

0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:58.199
<v Speaker 1>it needs to become something you're thinking about. And I

0:22:58.240 --> 0:23:02.880
<v Speaker 1>appreciate that, but I decided I wanted to stay, and

0:23:03.160 --> 0:23:05.920
<v Speaker 1>I stay, and we don't have as good a year.

0:23:05.960 --> 0:23:07.879
<v Speaker 1>We have a solid year Nick kind of playing. You know,

0:23:07.960 --> 0:23:09.560
<v Speaker 1>we kind of know the writings on the wall. He's

0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:12.560
<v Speaker 1>gonna leave and go to the Dolphins after that year.

0:23:13.000 --> 0:23:15.320
<v Speaker 1>So I don't have a great experience that year, and

0:23:15.600 --> 0:23:16.920
<v Speaker 1>I had a couple of games that kind of I

0:23:16.960 --> 0:23:18.600
<v Speaker 1>didn't think I played as well as I should have

0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:22.840
<v Speaker 1>unless Miles comes in and I'm like, you know, what.

0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:25.199
<v Speaker 1>I've always had this feeling in me that I'm like,

0:23:26.560 --> 0:23:28.200
<v Speaker 1>you know, for whatever reason, I always feel like I'm

0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:31.159
<v Speaker 1>responsible for people, and so I felt like in that moment,

0:23:31.560 --> 0:23:34.560
<v Speaker 1>a change, a head coach, a program that didn't perform

0:23:34.560 --> 0:23:36.560
<v Speaker 1>as good as it did, we just want an actual championship.

0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:38.680
<v Speaker 1>I got a lot of senior buddies that are coming back.

0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:41.240
<v Speaker 1>I don't even want to talk about leaving. So I

0:23:41.240 --> 0:23:43.600
<v Speaker 1>didn't even explore leaving the next year as a rich

0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:46.000
<v Speaker 1>Ard junior because I'm like, I had to come back.

0:23:46.080 --> 0:23:48.520
<v Speaker 1>I remember giving a speech Nick Saban that kind of

0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:50.960
<v Speaker 1>tells the guys formerly after our Iowa game and we

0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:54.720
<v Speaker 1>lose my junior year, he's gone, and I remember standing

0:23:54.800 --> 0:23:57.439
<v Speaker 1>up being like, I'm going to be back here. You know,

0:23:57.680 --> 0:23:59.560
<v Speaker 1>we're gonna get after it and do what we're supposed

0:23:59.560 --> 0:24:01.840
<v Speaker 1>to dolah blah blah. And I just felt compelled to

0:24:01.880 --> 0:24:04.520
<v Speaker 1>do it in the moment, with no real reasoning for

0:24:04.880 --> 0:24:08.280
<v Speaker 1>the decision. And I came back and played in another year.

0:24:08.320 --> 0:24:10.440
<v Speaker 1>So I ended up playing all five years at LSU

0:24:10.760 --> 0:24:14.040
<v Speaker 1>and becoming a second round pick. So it's crazy how

0:24:14.040 --> 0:24:16.080
<v Speaker 1>it worked out, and I still go back sometimes to

0:24:16.119 --> 0:24:17.800
<v Speaker 1>that day in his office and think like what if

0:24:17.840 --> 0:24:20.240
<v Speaker 1>I just decided to leave because my rating didn't really

0:24:20.320 --> 0:24:22.600
<v Speaker 1>change it those two years, how different would my career

0:24:22.680 --> 0:24:25.280
<v Speaker 1>look or where would've ended up. But I've been mature

0:24:25.359 --> 0:24:27.959
<v Speaker 1>enough to handle the league all those questions.

0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:33.320
<v Speaker 2>That's so interesting. I've never heard that before of a

0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:38.080
<v Speaker 2>coach pulling you in and actually encouraging you to go

0:24:38.119 --> 0:24:41.200
<v Speaker 2>because it seems you know, you know, I mean, let's

0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:43.320
<v Speaker 2>just be real, like you're a good player, You're obviously

0:24:43.400 --> 0:24:46.199
<v Speaker 2>going to help him do what he wants to do,

0:24:46.240 --> 0:24:50.760
<v Speaker 2>which is when that's a that's a great story, that's

0:24:50.880 --> 0:24:51.920
<v Speaker 2>really really important.

0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:53.560
<v Speaker 1>I think if you think about it, it's a little

0:24:53.560 --> 0:24:55.400
<v Speaker 1>bit you look at what he does in Alabama. Now,

0:24:55.440 --> 0:24:58.080
<v Speaker 1>how fast those kids get in and out. I think

0:24:58.119 --> 0:25:00.199
<v Speaker 1>it's a little bit of a vision of the more

0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:03.720
<v Speaker 1>kids I graduate come here to play, are successful and

0:25:03.840 --> 0:25:06.439
<v Speaker 1>end up in the NFL, the easier it is for

0:25:06.480 --> 0:25:08.479
<v Speaker 1>me to tell the next kid that's what his future

0:25:08.520 --> 0:25:11.000
<v Speaker 1>looks like. And so I think that's why he kind of,

0:25:11.560 --> 0:25:14.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, plays that line a little bit of like, hey,

0:25:14.840 --> 0:25:16.640
<v Speaker 1>when I got really special ones that I may need

0:25:16.640 --> 0:25:18.280
<v Speaker 1>to get into the league and be able to show

0:25:18.320 --> 0:25:20.919
<v Speaker 1>this example, I'll recruit the next one based off of

0:25:20.960 --> 0:25:23.040
<v Speaker 1>this guy, and I think that's kind of the vision

0:25:23.080 --> 0:25:25.200
<v Speaker 1>he's always had for its to keep those guys coming

0:25:25.200 --> 0:25:25.640
<v Speaker 1>in and out.

0:25:43.280 --> 0:25:46.919
<v Speaker 2>Two thousand and six NFL Draft. After five years at LSU,

0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:49.879
<v Speaker 2>you get drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. Talk to me

0:25:49.920 --> 0:25:53.800
<v Speaker 2>a little bit about the experience for you of the draft.

0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:57.040
<v Speaker 2>Is this like my dream has come true?

0:25:58.000 --> 0:25:59.800
<v Speaker 1>It was? The problem was I was going through a

0:25:59.840 --> 0:26:02.840
<v Speaker 1>lot of tourmal personally, so you know, I end up

0:26:03.440 --> 0:26:06.840
<v Speaker 1>senior year at LSU kind of you know, been in

0:26:06.840 --> 0:26:09.119
<v Speaker 1>a relationship the majority of the back half of my

0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:15.200
<v Speaker 1>college career with a girl and we get married. End

0:26:15.320 --> 0:26:17.600
<v Speaker 1>up not a good idea for either one of us,

0:26:18.800 --> 0:26:21.520
<v Speaker 1>not going well. I think it lasted all of maybe

0:26:21.600 --> 0:26:25.040
<v Speaker 1>I don't know, five months of actually being married. Maybe

0:26:25.080 --> 0:26:27.959
<v Speaker 1>that that might be a stretch, and so things are

0:26:28.000 --> 0:26:31.520
<v Speaker 1>not good. There, go through the draft experience together or whatever,

0:26:31.600 --> 0:26:34.960
<v Speaker 1>but still not that great. I'm two weeks after I

0:26:35.000 --> 0:26:39.200
<v Speaker 1>get drafted the Cincinnati Bengals, excited as heck to be there.

0:26:39.240 --> 0:26:41.320
<v Speaker 1>I still love the story that the secretary and there

0:26:41.480 --> 0:26:43.359
<v Speaker 1>called me like the day after I got drafted and

0:26:43.400 --> 0:26:45.639
<v Speaker 1>she's like, hey, next Friday, we got to have you

0:26:45.680 --> 0:26:48.360
<v Speaker 1>here whatever. And I'm like, well, I get it on Thursday.

0:26:48.520 --> 0:26:50.159
<v Speaker 1>She's like, what do you mean you get on Thursday.

0:26:50.160 --> 0:26:52.080
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, well I already. I just booked my own

0:26:52.119 --> 0:26:55.880
<v Speaker 1>personal flight, like I'm coming in on Thursday. And she's like, okay,

0:26:56.200 --> 0:26:58.320
<v Speaker 1>you're excited to get to work. You didn't even wait

0:26:58.359 --> 0:26:59.680
<v Speaker 1>for us to tell you when you can come. I

0:26:59.720 --> 0:27:01.720
<v Speaker 1>love it. But that was like my eagerness to get

0:27:01.720 --> 0:27:03.720
<v Speaker 1>there and get going. And so two weeks after I

0:27:03.760 --> 0:27:07.159
<v Speaker 1>get drafted, I met Marvin Lewis's event. He had a

0:27:07.160 --> 0:27:10.360
<v Speaker 1>found he has a great foundation in Cincinnati. My phone's

0:27:10.400 --> 0:27:12.080
<v Speaker 1>blowing up and I'm like, man, I don't know who's

0:27:12.080 --> 0:27:14.320
<v Speaker 1>calling me so much tonight. So I finally walk out

0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:16.520
<v Speaker 1>of the event, get on my phone and it's one

0:27:16.520 --> 0:27:20.160
<v Speaker 1>of my best friends of life, Michael Peterson, and he says, hey, man,

0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:22.199
<v Speaker 1>And as you go somewhere and he talked to me

0:27:22.200 --> 0:27:26.040
<v Speaker 1>and said what's up, He's like it's Lee, and I'm like, okay,

0:27:26.240 --> 0:27:29.199
<v Speaker 1>what's going on. He's like he was killed. And so

0:27:30.840 --> 0:27:35.760
<v Speaker 1>my close friend in college, roommate, Lee Deal, was serving

0:27:35.800 --> 0:27:39.640
<v Speaker 1>the Navy, was a met doc for a special recon team.

0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:42.239
<v Speaker 1>He was killed in action two weeks to the day

0:27:42.280 --> 0:27:46.280
<v Speaker 1>after I was drafted, almost and crazy experience in life.

0:27:46.320 --> 0:27:48.520
<v Speaker 1>I always say it's been one of those things is

0:27:48.840 --> 0:27:50.479
<v Speaker 1>horrific and never want to go through again. But it's

0:27:50.480 --> 0:27:52.520
<v Speaker 1>also been something I think that saved my entire career

0:27:52.560 --> 0:27:54.639
<v Speaker 1>because where I was at in life, I think I

0:27:54.640 --> 0:27:57.800
<v Speaker 1>took a lot of things for granted in general, and

0:27:57.880 --> 0:28:02.040
<v Speaker 1>so I spent my entire NFL career from that moment on.

0:28:02.080 --> 0:28:03.920
<v Speaker 1>I've always said, if you find a national anthem that

0:28:03.960 --> 0:28:06.600
<v Speaker 1>I'm on the video, there's tears in my eyes and

0:28:07.600 --> 0:28:09.280
<v Speaker 1>most of the time my tear dropping down my face.

0:28:09.320 --> 0:28:11.879
<v Speaker 1>And it's not really something to do as much about

0:28:11.920 --> 0:28:14.320
<v Speaker 1>the anthem as much as there was always this moment

0:28:14.320 --> 0:28:16.480
<v Speaker 1>I'd see the flag, I'd hear the anthem, and able

0:28:16.480 --> 0:28:19.320
<v Speaker 1>to remind me, boy, there's a lot of things through

0:28:19.359 --> 0:28:21.879
<v Speaker 1>the week that I stress out about and think about,

0:28:22.560 --> 0:28:25.080
<v Speaker 1>and man, I get to stand here today because of

0:28:25.160 --> 0:28:27.719
<v Speaker 1>one of my best friends in life sacrifice, the ultimate

0:28:27.760 --> 0:28:29.800
<v Speaker 1>sacrifice for me to get to have this freedom to

0:28:29.840 --> 0:28:32.480
<v Speaker 1>do what I'm doing right now. So it gave me

0:28:32.520 --> 0:28:35.639
<v Speaker 1>a constant reminder for sixteen years how special what it

0:28:35.720 --> 0:28:37.200
<v Speaker 1>is I get to do each and every Sunday.

0:28:38.080 --> 0:28:43.280
<v Speaker 2>That's incredible. God, what a crazy story, and what a

0:28:43.320 --> 0:28:47.080
<v Speaker 2>gift for you. That's great. It is, man, Yeah, it is.

0:28:47.400 --> 0:28:50.080
<v Speaker 1>I had the unique honor one of the coolest things

0:28:50.120 --> 0:28:53.320
<v Speaker 1>I have for my NFL playing career, and that includes everything,

0:28:53.360 --> 0:28:58.320
<v Speaker 1>the trophy, you name it. I have actually a framed

0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:02.200
<v Speaker 1>picture of that led to Michael Dangoons to come Seals.

0:29:02.760 --> 0:29:05.800
<v Speaker 1>Years down the road, the Seals are training in Kentucky

0:29:06.320 --> 0:29:09.000
<v Speaker 1>and I find out about it and invite them to

0:29:09.360 --> 0:29:13.280
<v Speaker 1>a Steelers Bengals game, get them a suite at the

0:29:13.320 --> 0:29:15.560
<v Speaker 1>stadium to work through the Bengals, get them a sweet

0:29:15.640 --> 0:29:18.360
<v Speaker 1>just happens to be Jim Bayner's. There a lot of

0:29:18.400 --> 0:29:21.000
<v Speaker 1>like political folks are in town. They go visit them,

0:29:21.120 --> 0:29:24.160
<v Speaker 1>kind of make this awesome experience for them. Well, these

0:29:24.200 --> 0:29:28.240
<v Speaker 1>guys take this Bengals flag they gave them and flew

0:29:28.320 --> 0:29:31.719
<v Speaker 1>it on their next deployment and took pictures with all

0:29:31.760 --> 0:29:34.400
<v Speaker 1>their machinery and everything and their guns and name it.

0:29:34.840 --> 0:29:38.360
<v Speaker 1>Pulled the flag up and got it framed and gave

0:29:38.400 --> 0:29:40.600
<v Speaker 1>me their American flag that went with them and the

0:29:40.600 --> 0:29:42.760
<v Speaker 1>Bengal flag that we gave them, and framed it up

0:29:42.760 --> 0:29:44.840
<v Speaker 1>for me, and I kept it. I took the frame

0:29:44.880 --> 0:29:46.320
<v Speaker 1>and I actually put it as the back of my

0:29:46.400 --> 0:29:49.560
<v Speaker 1>locker in Cincinnati. That was the back side of my locker,

0:29:49.640 --> 0:29:51.560
<v Speaker 1>so every day I could look at it. But it's

0:29:51.600 --> 0:29:54.520
<v Speaker 1>still one of the coolest things that I've ever received

0:29:54.560 --> 0:29:55.600
<v Speaker 1>playing NFL football.

0:29:56.200 --> 0:30:03.280
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, there's a lot of talk around the league about

0:30:03.640 --> 0:30:09.520
<v Speaker 2>a lack of support given from the Bengals organization to

0:30:09.680 --> 0:30:15.640
<v Speaker 2>their players in terms of facilities support in that way.

0:30:16.000 --> 0:30:20.160
<v Speaker 2>Is that fair or is that not fair criticism?

0:30:20.280 --> 0:30:23.800
<v Speaker 1>You know, I think what's tough about it is obviously

0:30:23.800 --> 0:30:26.480
<v Speaker 1>I think it's a lot harder for your smaller families

0:30:26.480 --> 0:30:28.600
<v Speaker 1>that kind of that's their only business in the NFL

0:30:28.760 --> 0:30:32.120
<v Speaker 1>to operate financially in the NFL model, because a lot

0:30:32.120 --> 0:30:34.040
<v Speaker 1>of people you know who don't realize it, but you know,

0:30:34.080 --> 0:30:36.400
<v Speaker 1>you're Jerry Jones or Crownkeys, you know, some of these

0:30:36.400 --> 0:30:38.680
<v Speaker 1>guys in the world to have these other massive businesses

0:30:38.680 --> 0:30:42.240
<v Speaker 1>that have really led to their worth and really how

0:30:42.240 --> 0:30:44.600
<v Speaker 1>they're able to operate so freely in the world of

0:30:44.680 --> 0:30:47.320
<v Speaker 1>using the NFL's money to make the team as good

0:30:47.320 --> 0:30:50.400
<v Speaker 1>as possible. I think it is a lot harder, but

0:30:50.480 --> 0:30:52.600
<v Speaker 1>it's not that it couldn't be done and so I

0:30:52.600 --> 0:30:57.160
<v Speaker 1>think at times, really the critique when I got to Cincinnati, obviously,

0:30:57.320 --> 0:30:58.640
<v Speaker 1>you know, that's one of the things I think people

0:30:58.680 --> 0:31:01.000
<v Speaker 1>don't get marvel Lewis enough credit for us when he

0:31:01.040 --> 0:31:03.560
<v Speaker 1>took over that team. I mean, you know, zero real

0:31:03.600 --> 0:31:07.960
<v Speaker 1>scouting department, structure, not many facility things that anybody would

0:31:07.960 --> 0:31:10.960
<v Speaker 1>want to play there for other than moving into the

0:31:10.960 --> 0:31:13.800
<v Speaker 1>stadium they were in. But I mean, my entire career there,

0:31:13.840 --> 0:31:16.240
<v Speaker 1>we never had an indoor. We never had any of

0:31:16.240 --> 0:31:18.760
<v Speaker 1>those things. So our indoor was to go inside the stadium,

0:31:18.800 --> 0:31:21.560
<v Speaker 1>which is open air, and practicing the snow on the turf,

0:31:22.320 --> 0:31:24.040
<v Speaker 1>which I don't know why we did that because it

0:31:24.080 --> 0:31:27.320
<v Speaker 1>only the turf's only harder when it's cold, so it

0:31:27.400 --> 0:31:29.720
<v Speaker 1>didn't make a lot of sense, but it sounded good,

0:31:29.760 --> 0:31:33.520
<v Speaker 1>we're going inside today. But yeah, I mean, when I

0:31:33.560 --> 0:31:36.840
<v Speaker 1>first got there, we ate our meals out of what

0:31:37.040 --> 0:31:39.680
<v Speaker 1>used to be like a closet. They literally just rolled

0:31:39.680 --> 0:31:41.720
<v Speaker 1>in trays of food and you'd walk through there, and

0:31:41.720 --> 0:31:45.000
<v Speaker 1>then you'd sit in the basketball gym and that's literally

0:31:45.040 --> 0:31:48.440
<v Speaker 1>where you ate, and it was just way different than

0:31:48.440 --> 0:31:51.040
<v Speaker 1>what they experience now. But I think it is a

0:31:51.080 --> 0:31:53.400
<v Speaker 1>fair criticism to say you wish they were more aggressive.

0:31:53.440 --> 0:31:55.719
<v Speaker 1>I know, I've always been critical in the sense of

0:31:56.560 --> 0:31:58.720
<v Speaker 1>I think they did a wonderful job of putting together

0:31:58.760 --> 0:32:01.240
<v Speaker 1>teams and stuff. When I was there, were really successful.

0:32:01.280 --> 0:32:03.080
<v Speaker 1>We didn't find a way to win a playoff game.

0:32:03.480 --> 0:32:05.160
<v Speaker 1>But I mean, shoot, we went to the playoffs six

0:32:05.200 --> 0:32:07.880
<v Speaker 1>times while I was there, won a bunch of division championships.

0:32:08.280 --> 0:32:12.920
<v Speaker 1>But I always thought in twenty eleven to fifteen, when

0:32:13.120 --> 0:32:15.560
<v Speaker 1>we really had our run with Andy Dawton and AJ Green,

0:32:15.640 --> 0:32:18.680
<v Speaker 1>the Geno Atkins and those guys, I was always critical

0:32:18.720 --> 0:32:20.840
<v Speaker 1>of here you are with all this self. You know,

0:32:20.920 --> 0:32:24.040
<v Speaker 1>you drafted them talent and not bringing in guys from

0:32:24.040 --> 0:32:26.840
<v Speaker 1>other places. You drafted all these guys, so they're all

0:32:26.920 --> 0:32:29.520
<v Speaker 1>draft picks and they're all slotted in the draft. You've

0:32:29.560 --> 0:32:32.120
<v Speaker 1>had all success, You're this could like, why is there

0:32:32.200 --> 0:32:36.080
<v Speaker 1>no investment to like one free agent or one trade

0:32:36.120 --> 0:32:38.880
<v Speaker 1>to just like, all right, we keep getting there, like

0:32:39.040 --> 0:32:41.920
<v Speaker 1>almost winning, Like we're that good, then why not just

0:32:42.080 --> 0:32:45.840
<v Speaker 1>some kind of like investment to say, let's be even better.

0:32:46.600 --> 0:32:48.680
<v Speaker 1>I think that's one of the things that Joe Burrow

0:32:48.800 --> 0:32:50.400
<v Speaker 1>really changed.

0:32:50.160 --> 0:32:50.360
<v Speaker 2>You know.

0:32:50.440 --> 0:32:53.040
<v Speaker 1>I think his attitude going there in the draft and

0:32:53.080 --> 0:32:55.640
<v Speaker 1>who he is you can see that their mindset's changed

0:32:55.680 --> 0:32:58.320
<v Speaker 1>in the last three years. I mean, they've probably signed

0:32:58.320 --> 0:33:01.160
<v Speaker 1>more free agents than they signed entire eleven years I

0:33:01.240 --> 0:33:05.360
<v Speaker 1>was there. So it's interesting to see that it really

0:33:05.400 --> 0:33:09.200
<v Speaker 1>looks like they've completely changed under this new era with

0:33:09.280 --> 0:33:11.920
<v Speaker 1>Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow and T Higgins and those guys.

0:33:11.920 --> 0:33:15.200
<v Speaker 1>But they never would have gone and gotten to Trey Hendrickson,

0:33:16.160 --> 0:33:18.480
<v Speaker 1>you know, or a DJ Reader or any of those

0:33:18.520 --> 0:33:20.680
<v Speaker 1>guys when I when I was there, that just wasn't

0:33:20.720 --> 0:33:23.720
<v Speaker 1>something they did. And so that was always my point.

0:33:23.760 --> 0:33:25.760
<v Speaker 1>It's like, man, I understand y'all need to be tight

0:33:25.800 --> 0:33:28.480
<v Speaker 1>with things, but why isn't there like a buy in

0:33:28.840 --> 0:33:31.800
<v Speaker 1>we are successful to say, what if we just took

0:33:31.840 --> 0:33:35.240
<v Speaker 1>that next leap? I think you'd all benefit financially and

0:33:35.280 --> 0:33:36.000
<v Speaker 1>everything else.

0:33:36.600 --> 0:33:40.680
<v Speaker 2>Right, talk to me about a little bit about stepping

0:33:40.680 --> 0:33:43.000
<v Speaker 2>on the field for the first time in the NFL.

0:33:43.960 --> 0:33:46.400
<v Speaker 2>Was this like my dream has come true?

0:33:47.880 --> 0:33:50.880
<v Speaker 1>You know? I think it would have been except for

0:33:50.880 --> 0:33:54.400
<v Speaker 1>for me my first time, you know, I played left

0:33:54.400 --> 0:33:59.040
<v Speaker 1>tackle at LSU, and my first real experience starting I

0:33:59.080 --> 0:34:01.320
<v Speaker 1>played against the Cleveland Browns as a guard, which is

0:34:01.320 --> 0:34:03.960
<v Speaker 1>a little easier from the sense of you're in a

0:34:04.000 --> 0:34:06.400
<v Speaker 1>little box and you don't feel as exposed as you

0:34:06.440 --> 0:34:09.239
<v Speaker 1>are as a tackle. So that part wasn't is bad.

0:34:09.360 --> 0:34:12.560
<v Speaker 1>But I remember my first left tackle snap, which is

0:34:12.600 --> 0:34:15.560
<v Speaker 1>what I really call living on that island like a corner.

0:34:15.560 --> 0:34:18.360
<v Speaker 1>And notice in the made to man corner. We're playing

0:34:18.440 --> 0:34:23.239
<v Speaker 1>in Tampa, Levi Jones is our left tackle, and I'm

0:34:23.320 --> 0:34:26.040
<v Speaker 1>at the game. You know, I'm not starting anything that week,

0:34:26.239 --> 0:34:28.880
<v Speaker 1>and I'd only started against Cleveland because somebody was injured.

0:34:29.040 --> 0:34:30.640
<v Speaker 1>And so this is like week four or five, and

0:34:31.560 --> 0:34:35.000
<v Speaker 1>Levi goes down in the first quarter and so it's

0:34:35.000 --> 0:34:37.560
<v Speaker 1>a it's a TV time out for his injury. My

0:34:37.640 --> 0:34:39.719
<v Speaker 1>coach yells at me, you know, get get out there,

0:34:39.719 --> 0:34:42.560
<v Speaker 1>and so I run out there, and I get in

0:34:42.640 --> 0:34:44.600
<v Speaker 1>the huddle at left guard and I moved to left

0:34:44.640 --> 0:34:47.560
<v Speaker 1>guard to left tackle because that's how we played against Cleveland.

0:34:48.200 --> 0:34:50.120
<v Speaker 1>And I'm like, no way, He's putting me on the edge,

0:34:50.160 --> 0:34:53.760
<v Speaker 1>like that's Simmey and Rice over there. And so he's

0:34:53.800 --> 0:34:56.360
<v Speaker 1>like I can see my coach is like frantically making

0:34:56.400 --> 0:34:59.640
<v Speaker 1>all these arm gestures like he's like pissed off, and

0:34:59.640 --> 0:35:01.960
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, what is going on? And kind of see

0:35:02.000 --> 0:35:03.880
<v Speaker 1>him on this iseline. I'm trying to like halp ignore

0:35:03.960 --> 0:35:08.240
<v Speaker 1>him and like lock in. I'm starting now. I'm playing

0:35:08.239 --> 0:35:11.240
<v Speaker 1>in this game to meet something. And then finally Carson

0:35:11.400 --> 0:35:14.600
<v Speaker 1>Palmer or quarterback over the headset like somebody's telling him

0:35:14.600 --> 0:35:16.520
<v Speaker 1>some of the headset. He's like with like move like

0:35:16.560 --> 0:35:20.360
<v Speaker 1>you're playing left tackle, and I'm like, what, huh? Like me.

0:35:21.280 --> 0:35:23.719
<v Speaker 1>So I literally look over there at Paul Alexander, my

0:35:23.800 --> 0:35:25.520
<v Speaker 1>line coach. I like point at my chest, like me,

0:35:25.680 --> 0:35:28.439
<v Speaker 1>move over to left tackle, and He's like, yes, move over,

0:35:28.600 --> 0:35:31.359
<v Speaker 1>and so I move over there, and I'm like, oh boy,

0:35:31.640 --> 0:35:34.600
<v Speaker 1>let's go me and Rice is going to be a blast.

0:35:35.600 --> 0:35:38.120
<v Speaker 1>And I have no idea how bad I couldn't go.

0:35:38.160 --> 0:35:40.080
<v Speaker 1>Look at that one. It probably was really ugly. I

0:35:40.120 --> 0:35:41.879
<v Speaker 1>didn't give up a sack, and I did a pretty

0:35:41.920 --> 0:35:44.480
<v Speaker 1>good job, so I was very content. But the next

0:35:44.480 --> 0:35:46.920
<v Speaker 1>week it didn't get any easier. I faced Julius Peppers

0:35:47.400 --> 0:35:49.359
<v Speaker 1>and Mike Rutger, who at that time I think led

0:35:49.400 --> 0:35:52.480
<v Speaker 1>the NFL and sacks, and from then on I was

0:35:52.800 --> 0:35:55.399
<v Speaker 1>playing left tackle, and the challenge each and every week

0:35:55.400 --> 0:35:56.879
<v Speaker 1>could be at A rookie left tackle in the league

0:35:56.960 --> 0:35:59.759
<v Speaker 1>ended up starting ten games that year, and he was insane, man,

0:36:00.040 --> 0:36:02.279
<v Speaker 1>crazy experience. I can remember in my mind like being

0:36:02.280 --> 0:36:05.959
<v Speaker 1>on the field with Brett Farr and Ray Lewis and guys.

0:36:05.960 --> 0:36:08.560
<v Speaker 1>So I'm like, man, highlyze this guy, Like how am

0:36:08.600 --> 0:36:11.359
<v Speaker 1>I standing on the field with treil Owen's and all

0:36:11.400 --> 0:36:13.080
<v Speaker 1>these guys. It was like every week you get over

0:36:13.160 --> 0:36:14.760
<v Speaker 1>the bench and kind of look over at the offense.

0:36:14.760 --> 0:36:17.319
<v Speaker 1>It's on the field and you're like, man, wait, oh

0:36:17.360 --> 0:36:18.879
<v Speaker 1>my god, I'm on the same field as that guy.

0:36:19.120 --> 0:36:21.680
<v Speaker 1>Like this is crazy, Like we're in the same place,

0:36:21.680 --> 0:36:24.720
<v Speaker 1>we had the same job. It's unbelievable.

0:36:25.080 --> 0:36:29.120
<v Speaker 2>Well, I know in twenty fourteen you're still facing a

0:36:29.160 --> 0:36:33.200
<v Speaker 2>lot of those guys and others. You allowed zero sacks

0:36:34.400 --> 0:36:40.120
<v Speaker 2>and only one quarterback hit on Andy Dalton name second

0:36:40.160 --> 0:36:44.120
<v Speaker 2>team ap NFL All Pro. Is that is that your

0:36:44.120 --> 0:36:49.440
<v Speaker 2>greatest accomplishment? I mean, zero sacks and one hit from

0:36:49.480 --> 0:36:50.520
<v Speaker 2>the left hack the position.

0:36:50.600 --> 0:36:54.560
<v Speaker 1>Good year. It was a really good year. I'll say that.

0:36:55.440 --> 0:36:58.120
<v Speaker 1>You know what's wild is that kind of led to

0:36:58.160 --> 0:37:03.440
<v Speaker 1>me becoming a Los Angeles ram It's insane to think

0:37:03.560 --> 0:37:06.279
<v Speaker 1>like that's how it all worked out. But yeah, it

0:37:06.719 --> 0:37:08.360
<v Speaker 1>was a great year, and it was a year that

0:37:08.400 --> 0:37:11.239
<v Speaker 1>I was so committed to I think I finally hit

0:37:11.280 --> 0:37:13.200
<v Speaker 1>this point, you know when people say, hey, you know,

0:37:14.040 --> 0:37:16.560
<v Speaker 1>years down the road, I placed be the first ever

0:37:16.560 --> 0:37:19.759
<v Speaker 1>aligneman to start a game at forty years old, as

0:37:19.760 --> 0:37:22.520
<v Speaker 1>I start and left tackle. It started from that moment

0:37:22.560 --> 0:37:25.160
<v Speaker 1>because I'd really committed that offseason, like, you know what,

0:37:25.400 --> 0:37:27.480
<v Speaker 1>I feel really good and I think I could do

0:37:27.560 --> 0:37:30.400
<v Speaker 1>this for a long time if I just keep this

0:37:30.520 --> 0:37:34.600
<v Speaker 1>exact regimen, And that kind of started it off. That year.

0:37:34.640 --> 0:37:36.279
<v Speaker 1>I was fired up to make a difference and do

0:37:36.320 --> 0:37:39.239
<v Speaker 1>something different. Hugh Jackson I was coming in as our

0:37:39.239 --> 0:37:42.359
<v Speaker 1>offensive coordinator, and Hugh and I always hit it off,

0:37:42.400 --> 0:37:44.920
<v Speaker 1>and we were both firing guys, and so we kind

0:37:44.920 --> 0:37:47.440
<v Speaker 1>of got each other going every week. And man, I

0:37:47.880 --> 0:37:49.920
<v Speaker 1>had a lot of fun playing football all year, much

0:37:50.000 --> 0:37:52.400
<v Speaker 1>less of success, and it really kind of, I think,

0:37:53.000 --> 0:37:55.959
<v Speaker 1>you know, shot me on the direction to what would

0:37:56.040 --> 0:37:58.080
<v Speaker 1>lead to an insane finish.

0:37:57.800 --> 0:38:01.920
<v Speaker 2>To my career. We talked about your near perfect attendance

0:38:01.960 --> 0:38:05.759
<v Speaker 2>record in college. You played one hundred and sixty eight

0:38:06.080 --> 0:38:08.960
<v Speaker 2>out of one hundred and seventy six games. In your

0:38:09.000 --> 0:38:13.920
<v Speaker 2>eleventh seasons with the Bengals, you don't take tailand all.

0:38:15.719 --> 0:38:17.080
<v Speaker 2>Is that is that true?

0:38:17.840 --> 0:38:20.800
<v Speaker 1>Yeah? You know what, happened is like you're five or six,

0:38:22.120 --> 0:38:25.640
<v Speaker 1>you know, you're sitting there, Brian, and you're like bored

0:38:25.640 --> 0:38:28.400
<v Speaker 1>in the offseason, and I'm watching Roadhouse for like the

0:38:28.440 --> 0:38:31.239
<v Speaker 1>one hundred and seventy eighth time, and not just for

0:38:31.360 --> 0:38:34.440
<v Speaker 1>the scene of Angelis when he picks her up in

0:38:34.440 --> 0:38:39.040
<v Speaker 1>the room, but also because you know, I love Roadhouse

0:38:39.239 --> 0:38:42.719
<v Speaker 1>and I love like the mentality that you know he

0:38:42.840 --> 0:38:46.279
<v Speaker 1>took on in that. And so the scene where she's

0:38:46.320 --> 0:38:49.919
<v Speaker 1>stapling him in the hospital and he's like like, pain

0:38:50.080 --> 0:38:53.040
<v Speaker 1>is just pain, Like you gotta get used to it, right,

0:38:53.320 --> 0:38:55.839
<v Speaker 1>and just kind of unflinching. So I was in my

0:38:55.840 --> 0:38:58.120
<v Speaker 1>fifth six year in the league and I was like, man,

0:38:58.160 --> 0:39:01.759
<v Speaker 1>I'm watching guys line up in for toward All shots,

0:39:02.400 --> 0:39:05.279
<v Speaker 1>ordering toward All online and taking it throughout the week

0:39:05.440 --> 0:39:08.520
<v Speaker 1>and just crushing every anti inflammatory and pain pill and

0:39:09.200 --> 0:39:11.759
<v Speaker 1>you name it. And I was like, man, I just

0:39:12.160 --> 0:39:16.279
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I see all these guys develop a

0:39:16.440 --> 0:39:18.480
<v Speaker 1>need like they have to to be able to function

0:39:18.560 --> 0:39:20.839
<v Speaker 1>every day, they have to have all this stuff. Why

0:39:20.880 --> 0:39:22.040
<v Speaker 1>can't it work the other way?

0:39:22.520 --> 0:39:22.800
<v Speaker 2>Right?

0:39:22.960 --> 0:39:25.279
<v Speaker 1>And I was like, I was watching that show and

0:39:25.320 --> 0:39:26.560
<v Speaker 1>I got done watching it, and I was like, you

0:39:26.600 --> 0:39:28.239
<v Speaker 1>know what, Like what if I just took a year

0:39:28.280 --> 0:39:32.880
<v Speaker 1>and said, no, I'm not taking anything, no medicine, nothing,

0:39:33.000 --> 0:39:36.600
<v Speaker 1>just like Patrick Swayzey says it, like no meds, no pills, nothing,

0:39:37.160 --> 0:39:40.040
<v Speaker 1>And I'm like, let's do it. And so I did it,

0:39:40.360 --> 0:39:43.960
<v Speaker 1>and I saw a drastic difference and just how I

0:39:44.000 --> 0:39:46.200
<v Speaker 1>was able to kind of understand my body and feel

0:39:46.239 --> 0:39:48.160
<v Speaker 1>things I needed to work on and feel things that

0:39:48.200 --> 0:39:51.239
<v Speaker 1>I needed to get worked on per se. And so

0:39:52.760 --> 0:39:54.880
<v Speaker 1>it just became a thing. And so after that, it

0:39:54.960 --> 0:39:57.200
<v Speaker 1>was like everywhere I went, no matter what the entry was,

0:39:57.280 --> 0:39:59.200
<v Speaker 1>I'd be like, look, man, unless you're telling me that,

0:39:59.360 --> 0:40:02.799
<v Speaker 1>like I can't get on the field next week, I'm out.

0:40:02.920 --> 0:40:04.880
<v Speaker 1>And so like, yeah, was there an occasion like you know,

0:40:05.080 --> 0:40:06.640
<v Speaker 1>they give you the pregnic zone or something like that

0:40:06.719 --> 0:40:09.080
<v Speaker 1>if you've got some significant injury and they don't know

0:40:09.160 --> 0:40:12.040
<v Speaker 1>if you're to recover in time. I mean, yeah, I've

0:40:12.120 --> 0:40:17.640
<v Speaker 1>done that before. But no weekly, daily stuff. Actually, until

0:40:17.719 --> 0:40:21.320
<v Speaker 1>my last two years in LA, I basically took nothing

0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:23.920
<v Speaker 1>for about seven years and my last two years in

0:40:24.000 --> 0:40:25.600
<v Speaker 1>LA just because at my age it was a lot

0:40:25.640 --> 0:40:29.319
<v Speaker 1>harder to do that. On actual game day, I would

0:40:29.400 --> 0:40:31.680
<v Speaker 1>take like two tile and all just to kind of

0:40:31.680 --> 0:40:33.320
<v Speaker 1>take the edge off a little bit in the morning,

0:40:33.640 --> 0:40:35.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, because the thing was when you're thirty nine

0:40:35.480 --> 0:40:38.239
<v Speaker 1>and forty showing up on the field, Like I always say,

0:40:38.280 --> 0:40:40.719
<v Speaker 1>it's like a box of chocolates. Every Sunday, I have

0:40:40.760 --> 0:40:43.360
<v Speaker 1>no idea what I'm gonna wake up and feel like

0:40:43.440 --> 0:40:47.480
<v Speaker 1>that morning it's like, oh rap, it's one of those days.

0:40:47.680 --> 0:40:49.520
<v Speaker 1>You know, Daddy's not in the mood today. I got

0:40:49.560 --> 0:40:52.560
<v Speaker 1>to find it somehow, so he takes some talle on

0:40:52.640 --> 0:40:53.200
<v Speaker 1>and get going.

0:40:54.040 --> 0:40:56.080
<v Speaker 2>I took torn off for the first time this year.

0:40:57.080 --> 0:41:02.480
<v Speaker 2>Can I tell you in Tahoe? I yeah, And I'll

0:41:02.480 --> 0:41:04.680
<v Speaker 2>tell you I'd never heard of it. I didn't know

0:41:04.880 --> 0:41:07.439
<v Speaker 2>what I mean. I heard it and really not ever

0:41:07.560 --> 0:41:10.520
<v Speaker 2>understood what it was. It's for those of you who

0:41:10.600 --> 0:41:13.239
<v Speaker 2>don't know, and you were like me until like two

0:41:13.280 --> 0:41:19.480
<v Speaker 2>months ago. It's basically an anti inflammatory. I'd be profen

0:41:19.840 --> 0:41:22.440
<v Speaker 2>like on steroids, which is yeah, it's a weird Actually

0:41:22.600 --> 0:41:25.680
<v Speaker 2>you shouldn't say steroids, I guess, but it's a very big,

0:41:25.840 --> 0:41:30.960
<v Speaker 2>powerful anti inflammatory. And I'll tell you what. My back

0:41:31.040 --> 0:41:36.440
<v Speaker 2>didn't hurt playing golf six d six rounds in six days.

0:41:36.760 --> 0:41:40.360
<v Speaker 2>I felt pretty good. Yeah, yeah, that's.

0:41:40.200 --> 0:41:42.279
<v Speaker 1>How that's kind of really part of it for me

0:41:42.360 --> 0:41:44.080
<v Speaker 1>is that I wanted to get to a point where

0:41:44.200 --> 0:41:46.720
<v Speaker 1>if I ever actually needed it, or I actually needed

0:41:46.760 --> 0:41:49.040
<v Speaker 1>some time at all, I wanted to have a drastic

0:41:49.040 --> 0:41:49.640
<v Speaker 1>effect on me.

0:41:49.920 --> 0:41:51.360
<v Speaker 2>Oh right, that makes sense.

0:41:51.880 --> 0:41:53.680
<v Speaker 1>And so that's really where it was. It's like, man,

0:41:53.680 --> 0:41:55.239
<v Speaker 1>you get injured one week and it's whether or not

0:41:55.239 --> 0:41:56.839
<v Speaker 1>you play the next week. I want to be able

0:41:56.840 --> 0:42:00.080
<v Speaker 1>to feel like man, that as a drastic effect. And

0:42:00.080 --> 0:42:03.120
<v Speaker 1>and so you know, that's really where it started. And

0:42:03.120 --> 0:42:04.960
<v Speaker 1>then it became just kind of stubborn, like you know,

0:42:05.000 --> 0:42:08.160
<v Speaker 1>and then obviously also you know, I was also as

0:42:08.280 --> 0:42:10.560
<v Speaker 1>o line and guys would tell you like I never

0:42:10.600 --> 0:42:12.440
<v Speaker 1>lied aybout getting off the ground. So I was like

0:42:12.640 --> 0:42:16.239
<v Speaker 1>super just obsessive, ain't aal about that. Like I know,

0:42:16.440 --> 0:42:18.040
<v Speaker 1>if I was gonna workout or I'm on the field,

0:42:18.200 --> 0:42:21.080
<v Speaker 1>I get up myself, like don't put your hand out there,

0:42:21.080 --> 0:42:22.960
<v Speaker 1>because you're gonna think I'm an asshole. Like I'm not

0:42:23.080 --> 0:42:26.560
<v Speaker 1>gonna take it, but I just don't. I don't nobody

0:42:26.600 --> 0:42:28.160
<v Speaker 1>gets me off the ground with me. If I'm gonna

0:42:28.160 --> 0:42:30.759
<v Speaker 1>be thirty something years old playing football, I gotta get

0:42:30.800 --> 0:42:33.759
<v Speaker 1>my own butt off the ground. And I realized I

0:42:33.840 --> 0:42:36.480
<v Speaker 1>signed up for this. That's a great transition to being

0:42:36.520 --> 0:42:38.040
<v Speaker 1>a RAM. That's part of what it was.

0:42:38.040 --> 0:42:42.120
<v Speaker 2>About twenty seventeen. You signed with the Rams and your

0:42:42.160 --> 0:42:45.600
<v Speaker 2>buddy Sean McVay, You move out west. Was it difficult

0:42:45.680 --> 0:42:46.600
<v Speaker 2>for you to leave Cincy?

0:42:47.960 --> 0:42:50.560
<v Speaker 1>Crazy? You know, I don't know how much we've really

0:42:50.600 --> 0:42:52.920
<v Speaker 1>even talked about it, but that, you know, Melissa and

0:42:52.960 --> 0:42:56.319
<v Speaker 1>I over the time, but it's we signed. I guess

0:42:56.360 --> 0:42:59.760
<v Speaker 1>it was like March tenth, not somewhere in there. April second,

0:43:00.520 --> 0:43:03.000
<v Speaker 1>my family had sold the house, moved out of Cincinnati.

0:43:03.280 --> 0:43:05.759
<v Speaker 1>We lived in a house that we were renting in California.

0:43:05.880 --> 0:43:09.160
<v Speaker 1>In one month and basically three and a half weeks

0:43:09.200 --> 0:43:11.760
<v Speaker 1>something like that, my wife she flew home. The crazy

0:43:11.800 --> 0:43:13.840
<v Speaker 1>part of that story is I signed the contract, we

0:43:13.920 --> 0:43:15.640
<v Speaker 1>flew out of my wife and three kids. And when

0:43:15.640 --> 0:43:17.839
<v Speaker 1>you're an offensive lineman, Brian, I don't get like they

0:43:17.880 --> 0:43:19.719
<v Speaker 1>don't send the g for or to pick you up. Okay,

0:43:20.280 --> 0:43:24.360
<v Speaker 1>you know I was. Actually that was me. Yeah, me

0:43:24.360 --> 0:43:26.640
<v Speaker 1>and Melissa's favorite moment ever. I think I think it's

0:43:26.640 --> 0:43:30.320
<v Speaker 1>Sean mcvay's favorite story ever. But since we won the

0:43:30.360 --> 0:43:32.920
<v Speaker 1>Super Bowl. But I'm on the flight in the very

0:43:33.120 --> 0:43:36.200
<v Speaker 1>back row, my wife and my three kids. The toilets

0:43:36.320 --> 0:43:39.000
<v Speaker 1>just you know, I'm getting all the fumes the whole flight.

0:43:39.200 --> 0:43:42.840
<v Speaker 1>We connect through Salt Lake City to to La and

0:43:42.960 --> 0:43:45.799
<v Speaker 1>I am it's one of those bumpy winter flights where

0:43:45.960 --> 0:43:47.880
<v Speaker 1>you know, the flight tents can't even get up and

0:43:48.000 --> 0:43:49.640
<v Speaker 1>I'm just sitting on here in this back round. My

0:43:49.719 --> 0:43:52.680
<v Speaker 1>kids are crying. I'm like, what are we do we

0:43:52.920 --> 0:43:55.960
<v Speaker 1>this is the dumbest thing ever. Let's go back to

0:43:56.040 --> 0:43:58.880
<v Speaker 1>fourth Thomas, right, you know, get these kids on a

0:43:58.920 --> 0:44:02.640
<v Speaker 1>play set, like you know, we're fine, And I tell

0:44:02.760 --> 0:44:05.200
<v Speaker 1>my wife, I'm like, listen, you need to buckle up

0:44:05.200 --> 0:44:08.920
<v Speaker 1>and understand, we've given up super Bowl hopes. Like it's over.

0:44:09.040 --> 0:44:11.400
<v Speaker 1>We're leaving Cincinnati where we'd gone on the playoffs a

0:44:11.400 --> 0:44:14.000
<v Speaker 1>bunch of times. This team hasn't had a winning season

0:44:14.080 --> 0:44:17.680
<v Speaker 1>in fifteen years, Like super Bowl's over. This is about

0:44:17.760 --> 0:44:21.040
<v Speaker 1>us going there and changing a culture, you know, being

0:44:21.120 --> 0:44:24.080
<v Speaker 1>willing to help the wives, help the players, like this

0:44:24.280 --> 0:44:27.759
<v Speaker 1>is all this is about, and us going there and

0:44:27.840 --> 0:44:30.399
<v Speaker 1>being servants to this organization. And that's what they're really

0:44:30.480 --> 0:44:32.600
<v Speaker 1>paying me to do. Come play good football and teach

0:44:32.640 --> 0:44:35.120
<v Speaker 1>these guys how to play good football and change the

0:44:35.200 --> 0:44:38.120
<v Speaker 1>culture of what's going on there. And Melissa told Sean

0:44:38.239 --> 0:44:40.200
<v Speaker 1>that story when we first got to LA and so

0:44:40.320 --> 0:44:42.920
<v Speaker 1>he has never let me live it down since we

0:44:43.000 --> 0:44:46.120
<v Speaker 1>went to two Super Bowls in one one. But it's

0:44:46.239 --> 0:44:49.759
<v Speaker 1>the truth of how I signed there. It was very like, Man,

0:44:49.840 --> 0:44:52.000
<v Speaker 1>I'm going here. This isn't about me, this is about

0:44:52.080 --> 0:44:56.880
<v Speaker 1>this place. And I never left. So I signed the contract.

0:44:57.280 --> 0:44:59.399
<v Speaker 1>I said, Melissa, this is one of those moments where

0:44:59.600 --> 0:45:01.600
<v Speaker 1>you go, just forgive me on this. I can't leave.

0:45:01.640 --> 0:45:03.640
<v Speaker 1>I can't go back. Cincinnati means too much to me.

0:45:04.719 --> 0:45:06.560
<v Speaker 1>It would hurt my heart too much to fly back

0:45:06.640 --> 0:45:10.040
<v Speaker 1>there now. I just I need you this month. If

0:45:10.080 --> 0:45:12.160
<v Speaker 1>we could just do this, like let's go all in together.

0:45:12.680 --> 0:45:14.480
<v Speaker 1>If you can go back to Cincinnati, I'll get your

0:45:14.520 --> 0:45:16.920
<v Speaker 1>parents up there, whoever you need to help you move

0:45:17.000 --> 0:45:18.800
<v Speaker 1>us oute of the house and take care of the kids.

0:45:19.520 --> 0:45:22.439
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna stay here. So I never left LA after

0:45:22.520 --> 0:45:26.640
<v Speaker 1>a hour. And last year I called the Bengals Rams

0:45:26.719 --> 0:45:30.000
<v Speaker 1>game in the preseason as a retired Super Bowl champion.

0:45:30.160 --> 0:45:33.360
<v Speaker 1>It was the first time I stepped back in Cincinnati,

0:45:33.360 --> 0:45:39.160
<v Speaker 1>Ohio since I signed my contract. Really, yeah, pretty well,

0:45:39.719 --> 0:45:41.480
<v Speaker 1>it was a pretty emotional game. I played it off,

0:45:41.600 --> 0:45:43.239
<v Speaker 1>but if it's a pretty emotional day to be there

0:45:43.320 --> 0:45:45.840
<v Speaker 1>last year, it's just crazy for me. Man, I invested

0:45:45.880 --> 0:45:48.920
<v Speaker 1>everything I had in that place. You know, I just

0:45:48.960 --> 0:45:49.640
<v Speaker 1>couldn't go back.

0:46:07.320 --> 0:46:09.080
<v Speaker 2>Are you a Bengal or a Ram?

0:46:10.920 --> 0:46:13.160
<v Speaker 1>I'm both. I mean, I'm too invested in both places

0:46:13.239 --> 0:46:13.840
<v Speaker 1>to not be.

0:46:14.320 --> 0:46:17.760
<v Speaker 2>But what a what a weeny answer? God?

0:46:18.080 --> 0:46:20.479
<v Speaker 1>No, right, I've been around longer than You're not gonna

0:46:20.520 --> 0:46:20.960
<v Speaker 1>get that.

0:46:24.920 --> 0:46:30.160
<v Speaker 2>You said it too. Super Bowls with the Rams, including

0:46:31.000 --> 0:46:35.640
<v Speaker 2>your very last game. I mean you're playing, you're playing

0:46:35.680 --> 0:46:40.240
<v Speaker 2>against twenty somethings, you're in your in your late thirties,

0:46:42.080 --> 0:46:46.680
<v Speaker 2>forty before you retired. Are you feeling that age difference?

0:46:46.800 --> 0:46:50.520
<v Speaker 2>And do you consider it an advantage at all for you?

0:46:51.320 --> 0:46:54.560
<v Speaker 1>I do think from a preparation and experience standpoint, it's

0:46:54.600 --> 0:46:58.719
<v Speaker 1>definitely advantage. But body wise no, I mean, you know, right,

0:46:59.120 --> 0:47:03.640
<v Speaker 1>my last five was literally about finding ways to recreate myself,

0:47:03.800 --> 0:47:05.600
<v Speaker 1>to recreate being. I know what I needed to do

0:47:05.719 --> 0:47:07.840
<v Speaker 1>to get the job done. But you know, you start

0:47:07.880 --> 0:47:10.000
<v Speaker 1>to lose the ability. And I think that's what people

0:47:10.000 --> 0:47:11.960
<v Speaker 1>don't understand when we say I make guys falling off,

0:47:12.120 --> 0:47:14.800
<v Speaker 1>is it's not necessarily that like if you tested me

0:47:14.880 --> 0:47:16.640
<v Speaker 1>in the forty your pinch press or whatever, that the

0:47:16.719 --> 0:47:19.239
<v Speaker 1>numbers would be that different. It's that you start to

0:47:19.320 --> 0:47:22.240
<v Speaker 1>lose the ability for your brain to make your body

0:47:22.360 --> 0:47:24.719
<v Speaker 1>do exactly what you feel in the moment. And so

0:47:25.400 --> 0:47:27.600
<v Speaker 1>I started to lose the explosion to get off the

0:47:27.640 --> 0:47:29.719
<v Speaker 1>line as a left tackling in my set and like,

0:47:29.880 --> 0:47:31.560
<v Speaker 1>oh man, I want to put my hand here, but

0:47:31.680 --> 0:47:34.600
<v Speaker 1>like for whatever reason, I just seemed to have lost

0:47:34.600 --> 0:47:36.440
<v Speaker 1>the ability to put it exactly where I want to,

0:47:36.520 --> 0:47:38.040
<v Speaker 1>and I'm just slow and I can see, like when

0:47:38.040 --> 0:47:40.200
<v Speaker 1>I watch a fight or I watch MMA or anything

0:47:40.239 --> 0:47:43.680
<v Speaker 1>like older fighters when they're struggling, like I know exactly

0:47:43.760 --> 0:47:46.480
<v Speaker 1>what's going on because I know the feeling of like

0:47:47.080 --> 0:47:50.799
<v Speaker 1>what becomes the challenge And so it's that your body

0:47:50.840 --> 0:47:52.360
<v Speaker 1>doesn't listen to you as well as it used to.

0:47:52.520 --> 0:47:54.440
<v Speaker 1>You might know what you need to do, but you

0:47:54.600 --> 0:47:57.480
<v Speaker 1>can't get it to do it, and so that started

0:47:57.520 --> 0:47:59.480
<v Speaker 1>to become a challenge. And so for me, it was

0:47:59.520 --> 0:48:01.439
<v Speaker 1>like I got lighter. I tried to play the really

0:48:01.840 --> 0:48:04.560
<v Speaker 1>likely way less weight than I played earlier in my career,

0:48:05.040 --> 0:48:07.040
<v Speaker 1>so I can move a little better and more efficiently.

0:48:07.800 --> 0:48:08.760
<v Speaker 1>But I'll never forget.

0:48:08.880 --> 0:48:09.000
<v Speaker 2>You know.

0:48:09.200 --> 0:48:10.920
<v Speaker 1>Part of my get up store on your own is

0:48:11.080 --> 0:48:14.160
<v Speaker 1>I signed my deal two months later. I'm an OTA.

0:48:14.360 --> 0:48:18.560
<v Speaker 1>Is the very first OTA practice. Aaron Kromer is my

0:48:18.640 --> 0:48:22.400
<v Speaker 1>online coach, a hilarious guy, passionate dude about football and

0:48:22.400 --> 0:48:25.320
<v Speaker 1>a great coach. And I get the tight end beside

0:48:25.360 --> 0:48:27.759
<v Speaker 1>me goes the wrong way on our first play and

0:48:27.960 --> 0:48:30.560
<v Speaker 1>just completely rolls me up, and I mean it, freaking

0:48:30.880 --> 0:48:33.279
<v Speaker 1>it hurts so bad. I'm rolling around on the dirt

0:48:34.560 --> 0:48:37.080
<v Speaker 1>like on my knee, and all I hear from the

0:48:37.160 --> 0:48:39.759
<v Speaker 1>back where all the coaches and players stand is you

0:48:40.080 --> 0:48:43.279
<v Speaker 1>signed the damn contract. Get up off the ground. And

0:48:43.400 --> 0:48:46.759
<v Speaker 1>I knew it was Aaron Kromer, and I was like this,

0:48:47.080 --> 0:48:48.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, you just with him, know enough, like a

0:48:48.719 --> 0:48:50.480
<v Speaker 1>new producer or something, you know, Like I know how

0:48:50.560 --> 0:48:52.520
<v Speaker 1>he is. He's kind of a guy, likes to push buttons.

0:48:53.040 --> 0:48:55.600
<v Speaker 1>So I'm like half pissed off and laughing at the

0:48:55.640 --> 0:48:58.600
<v Speaker 1>same time. All right, all right, dude, like shut up,

0:48:59.200 --> 0:49:01.120
<v Speaker 1>and I'm I want to get up, you know. So

0:49:01.280 --> 0:49:03.640
<v Speaker 1>I got a dusting myself off in him and I

0:49:03.719 --> 0:49:05.759
<v Speaker 1>laughed about this day. But that's how it started. He

0:49:05.880 --> 0:49:08.680
<v Speaker 1>was like, you know what I'm here. I did sign

0:49:08.800 --> 0:49:11.319
<v Speaker 1>that contract, and so I got to give my time

0:49:11.360 --> 0:49:13.520
<v Speaker 1>and energy to it. And I love hearing these stories

0:49:13.719 --> 0:49:17.439
<v Speaker 1>right now currently about Aaron Rogers being in New York

0:49:17.520 --> 0:49:19.719
<v Speaker 1>and sitting at a different table every day and what

0:49:19.800 --> 0:49:22.120
<v Speaker 1>he's doing, because that was the big thing I always said.

0:49:22.120 --> 0:49:25.080
<v Speaker 1>I always thought the biggest difference for me is that

0:49:25.160 --> 0:49:27.040
<v Speaker 1>when I got there, that was my moo. I was

0:49:27.160 --> 0:49:29.960
<v Speaker 1>every day I'm sitting with a different position group. I'm

0:49:30.040 --> 0:49:32.680
<v Speaker 1>walking in this place, not as the eleven year vet

0:49:32.760 --> 0:49:35.160
<v Speaker 1>has been to Pro Bowls and all pro blah blah blah.

0:49:35.480 --> 0:49:38.080
<v Speaker 1>I'm walking in as I'm here to help this team win.

0:49:38.200 --> 0:49:40.640
<v Speaker 1>And so every day I try to spend time with

0:49:40.719 --> 0:49:42.680
<v Speaker 1>those groups. And that's why I still have some really

0:49:42.760 --> 0:49:45.880
<v Speaker 1>crazy cool bonds from that time. And I'll never forget

0:49:46.000 --> 0:49:48.800
<v Speaker 1>Sean holding the meeting and letting the guys vote and

0:49:48.960 --> 0:49:52.759
<v Speaker 1>being voted a captain that year, and thinking to myself, like,

0:49:52.840 --> 0:49:55.080
<v Speaker 1>what a cool moment you know, to to thirty six

0:49:55.160 --> 0:49:57.920
<v Speaker 1>years old to change teams become a leader of a

0:49:58.000 --> 0:50:01.040
<v Speaker 1>place that fast. But more importantly, like just developed this

0:50:01.160 --> 0:50:04.240
<v Speaker 1>culture of all of us being on the same page

0:50:04.360 --> 0:50:06.440
<v Speaker 1>from what wasn't that way before? We got there and

0:50:07.120 --> 0:50:10.040
<v Speaker 1>it was really special and it led to really you know,

0:50:10.080 --> 0:50:11.520
<v Speaker 1>where my career would go from then.

0:50:11.560 --> 0:50:17.680
<v Speaker 2>All after eleven seasons, obviously, your first year with the Rams,

0:50:17.760 --> 0:50:20.160
<v Speaker 2>you go to the super Bowl. Should you have won?

0:50:21.440 --> 0:50:23.440
<v Speaker 1>You know, that was my actually my second season. So

0:50:23.480 --> 0:50:26.600
<v Speaker 1>the first season, oh second eleven, Yes, first season, we

0:50:27.080 --> 0:50:30.080
<v Speaker 1>win the division, go eleven and five, and then lose

0:50:30.719 --> 0:50:33.719
<v Speaker 1>to the Falcons in the playoffs, and at that time,

0:50:34.840 --> 0:50:38.600
<v Speaker 1>I became the uh, the NFL player with the worst

0:50:38.640 --> 0:50:42.560
<v Speaker 1>record in the playoffs in NFL history. I was I

0:50:42.600 --> 0:50:44.080
<v Speaker 1>think it was oh and eight or oh and seven

0:50:44.160 --> 0:50:46.560
<v Speaker 1>in the playoffs at that time, and that was the

0:50:46.640 --> 0:50:51.400
<v Speaker 1>record for a player, so really awesome, uh, great thing

0:50:51.440 --> 0:50:54.080
<v Speaker 1>to be known for. But the next year, we have

0:50:54.440 --> 0:50:59.440
<v Speaker 1>a great year, Kyt Gurley goes crazy again and we

0:50:59.560 --> 0:51:03.760
<v Speaker 1>end up in the playoffs, win my first ever playoff

0:51:03.800 --> 0:51:06.480
<v Speaker 1>game against the Dallas Cowboys. I'll never forget it, which

0:51:06.520 --> 0:51:08.120
<v Speaker 1>is also kind of crazy just think about it now,

0:51:08.239 --> 0:51:10.920
<v Speaker 1>my team growing up first every time to win the

0:51:10.960 --> 0:51:14.480
<v Speaker 1>playoff game, but end up in the super Bowl and

0:51:14.840 --> 0:51:16.959
<v Speaker 1>lose to the New England Patriots. And probably the worst

0:51:17.040 --> 0:51:21.040
<v Speaker 1>game we played all season long, just a bad performance

0:51:21.080 --> 0:51:24.359
<v Speaker 1>for who we were offensively and everything else. Defense played

0:51:24.360 --> 0:51:26.160
<v Speaker 1>great and we just let them down. It was a

0:51:26.239 --> 0:51:28.280
<v Speaker 1>tough thing to swallow because at that point, I'm thirty

0:51:28.800 --> 0:51:32.759
<v Speaker 1>eight going on thirty nine, and every single person, you know,

0:51:32.800 --> 0:51:35.279
<v Speaker 1>super Bowl Week's insane with media and everything else. Every

0:51:35.400 --> 0:51:37.680
<v Speaker 1>question is like what do you think about to spend

0:51:37.719 --> 0:51:40.200
<v Speaker 1>your last game? Everter like, everyone just was like assumed

0:51:40.320 --> 0:51:43.120
<v Speaker 1>like this was it. So when I walked off that field,

0:51:43.960 --> 0:51:48.080
<v Speaker 1>I was, Okay, if it is it, you know what,

0:51:48.320 --> 0:51:50.880
<v Speaker 1>it's been an insane run. I don't feel like it's it,

0:51:51.280 --> 0:51:54.840
<v Speaker 1>but maybe the rams make that decision for me. And

0:51:55.360 --> 0:51:59.040
<v Speaker 1>what leads to one of the coolest sports moments when

0:51:59.080 --> 0:52:02.239
<v Speaker 1>people say, what's your sports moment? You know, walking off

0:52:02.320 --> 0:52:05.200
<v Speaker 1>that field and looking up at my at that time,

0:52:05.280 --> 0:52:08.080
<v Speaker 1>I guess he was seven eight years old, Michael, my

0:52:08.200 --> 0:52:12.120
<v Speaker 1>middle son, and he's crying in his mama's lap because

0:52:12.120 --> 0:52:14.719
<v Speaker 1>he didn't think we'd lose either. And I never knew

0:52:14.800 --> 0:52:17.320
<v Speaker 1>NFL Films had the audio and a video camera on

0:52:17.480 --> 0:52:20.000
<v Speaker 1>me because I wasn't miked up. I don't remember being

0:52:20.080 --> 0:52:23.200
<v Speaker 1>miked up, but maybe I was. And I literally looked

0:52:23.280 --> 0:52:25.880
<v Speaker 1>up and find where they're sitting, and he's sitting in

0:52:25.960 --> 0:52:27.759
<v Speaker 1>her lap and he's crying. The only way I knew

0:52:27.760 --> 0:52:29.200
<v Speaker 1>how to make an eight year old like try to

0:52:29.239 --> 0:52:30.960
<v Speaker 1>put a smile on that moment he can't hear me

0:52:31.480 --> 0:52:33.279
<v Speaker 1>was to flex my muscles at him and make him

0:52:33.320 --> 0:52:36.359
<v Speaker 1>flex his back. And still gives me chills to think

0:52:36.360 --> 0:52:39.160
<v Speaker 1>about it. So he like bawl and crying, like trying

0:52:39.280 --> 0:52:42.520
<v Speaker 1>to like half get a smile out, you know, And

0:52:43.719 --> 0:52:46.520
<v Speaker 1>he smile comes out, and he's crying, he's flexing his muscles,

0:52:46.640 --> 0:52:48.479
<v Speaker 1>and I just told him, like, we're gonna be okay, buddy,

0:52:48.560 --> 0:52:50.120
<v Speaker 1>like this ain't the end of the world for us.

0:52:50.360 --> 0:52:52.800
<v Speaker 1>And I go off and I have the quote of

0:52:52.800 --> 0:52:56.439
<v Speaker 1>the year, which is still idiot. I've been around media

0:52:56.520 --> 0:52:58.560
<v Speaker 1>long enough to know not to talk emotionally because they're

0:52:58.560 --> 0:53:00.640
<v Speaker 1>going to dissect it. But at the end of the day,

0:53:00.960 --> 0:53:03.880
<v Speaker 1>we're all gonna die, and I'll never forget that literally

0:53:04.000 --> 0:53:07.279
<v Speaker 1>went everywhere, and I'm like, you know what, that's not

0:53:07.480 --> 0:53:09.880
<v Speaker 1>what I said, but it is what I said. I

0:53:10.120 --> 0:53:13.680
<v Speaker 1>asked me how you go forward from this moment, you know,

0:53:13.880 --> 0:53:16.520
<v Speaker 1>having lost the Super Bowl and ending your career basically,

0:53:16.800 --> 0:53:19.120
<v Speaker 1>and I'm kind of like one insulted, like this ain't

0:53:19.120 --> 0:53:20.279
<v Speaker 1>the end of my career. Who said the end of

0:53:20.320 --> 0:53:23.640
<v Speaker 1>my career two, I'm like, bro, listen, I care a

0:53:23.719 --> 0:53:27.600
<v Speaker 1>lot about football, love it. It's a passion of mine.

0:53:27.840 --> 0:53:30.200
<v Speaker 1>This ain't the end all be all of life parts.

0:53:30.680 --> 0:53:32.680
<v Speaker 1>So let me explain to you who I am. So

0:53:32.880 --> 0:53:37.160
<v Speaker 1>I said the actual whole quote was, I don't care

0:53:37.239 --> 0:53:39.560
<v Speaker 1>if you've won twenty Super Bowls, been to one hundred

0:53:39.640 --> 0:53:43.240
<v Speaker 1>Pro Bowls, whatever it was, you know the exact numbers.

0:53:43.600 --> 0:53:45.680
<v Speaker 1>But at the end of the day, we're all gonna die.

0:53:45.920 --> 0:53:48.600
<v Speaker 1>And what's gonna matter to me ain't gonna be some

0:53:48.719 --> 0:53:51.200
<v Speaker 1>trophy sitting on a wall or some Pro Bowl that

0:53:51.239 --> 0:53:53.959
<v Speaker 1>I've been to. What's gonna matter is if Sarah Leice,

0:53:54.800 --> 0:53:58.840
<v Speaker 1>Drew Andrew James Junior, Michael Lee Whitworth, and Katherine Whitworth

0:53:59.360 --> 0:54:02.120
<v Speaker 1>love people, care about people, and treat people the same

0:54:02.160 --> 0:54:04.080
<v Speaker 1>way they'd want to be treated, regardless of where they

0:54:04.120 --> 0:54:07.759
<v Speaker 1>come from, their economic status, or skin color or anything else.

0:54:07.880 --> 0:54:11.879
<v Speaker 1>If they are quality human beings who love and treat

0:54:11.920 --> 0:54:14.279
<v Speaker 1>people the way they should and get the fulfillment of

0:54:14.360 --> 0:54:18.239
<v Speaker 1>life through that, I don't give a crap about a

0:54:18.280 --> 0:54:20.400
<v Speaker 1>Super Bowl, right, Like that's going to matter to me.

0:54:20.920 --> 0:54:23.000
<v Speaker 1>And so that's what I said, but of course the

0:54:23.040 --> 0:54:24.360
<v Speaker 1>only thing I quoted it is saying is the end

0:54:24.360 --> 0:54:27.600
<v Speaker 1>of the day, we're all going to die, which is

0:54:27.680 --> 0:54:30.360
<v Speaker 1>way more entertaining. I agree. I mean it's a lot funnier.

0:54:30.600 --> 0:54:33.799
<v Speaker 1>So anyways, have that great moment, and I'll still never

0:54:33.880 --> 0:54:35.520
<v Speaker 1>live that way. I think my wife quotes me that

0:54:35.840 --> 0:54:38.439
<v Speaker 1>Dumpty's mad at me, like, hey, you want to drop

0:54:38.520 --> 0:54:40.719
<v Speaker 1>another quote, end of the day, we're all going to die?

0:54:43.560 --> 0:54:49.600
<v Speaker 2>Well, you don't retire spoiler alert and twenty twenty two. Yeah,

0:54:49.600 --> 0:54:54.399
<v Speaker 2>I mean it's like this perfect symbolic I don't even

0:54:54.480 --> 0:54:56.759
<v Speaker 2>I can't even say the words, but basically, you play

0:54:56.800 --> 0:54:59.239
<v Speaker 2>the Bengals, and you beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl,

0:54:59.400 --> 0:55:02.560
<v Speaker 2>you win your or Super Bowl, and then you right

0:55:02.680 --> 0:55:05.360
<v Speaker 2>off into the sunset talk to me about it.

0:55:05.440 --> 0:55:08.160
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and I And the close of that is you

0:55:08.239 --> 0:55:10.960
<v Speaker 1>know that week, you know, life comes full circle at you.

0:55:11.040 --> 0:55:13.279
<v Speaker 1>I shared the lead deals story about Lee Dyne and

0:55:14.120 --> 0:55:16.200
<v Speaker 1>the thankfuls half of that. Well, that led and then

0:55:16.200 --> 0:55:18.959
<v Speaker 1>also getting divorced, and that led to me being really lonely.

0:55:19.040 --> 0:55:21.360
<v Speaker 1>When I was in Cincinnati as a rookie, and I

0:55:21.480 --> 0:55:24.200
<v Speaker 1>started going to the local Boys and Girls club and

0:55:24.320 --> 0:55:27.759
<v Speaker 1>developing a relationship with a kid named Derek Barnes, and

0:55:28.400 --> 0:55:31.120
<v Speaker 1>I that week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl against

0:55:31.200 --> 0:55:34.360
<v Speaker 1>the Cincinnati Bengals, which is just insane. I mean, I

0:55:34.440 --> 0:55:36.320
<v Speaker 1>don't claim to have a movie there, but there is

0:55:36.400 --> 0:55:39.800
<v Speaker 1>kind of a movie there. I'm playing against the Cincinnati Bengals,

0:55:40.760 --> 0:55:45.000
<v Speaker 1>and I win Walter Payton Mann of the Year, and

0:55:45.120 --> 0:55:47.319
<v Speaker 1>I decided when they asked me what I wanted to say,

0:55:47.400 --> 0:55:51.160
<v Speaker 1>that I wanted to talk about Derek Barnes. And that season,

0:55:51.600 --> 0:55:56.839
<v Speaker 1>Derek Barnes played middle linebacker for the Detroit Lions. Unbeknounced

0:55:56.840 --> 0:56:00.320
<v Speaker 1>to me and after the game runs up me and

0:56:00.400 --> 0:56:03.160
<v Speaker 1>he's like, big wit, Like it's me. You're not going

0:56:03.239 --> 0:56:06.640
<v Speaker 1>to remember me. I'm Derek Barnes. You and I used

0:56:06.640 --> 0:56:08.680
<v Speaker 1>to hang out when I was a little kid, like six, seven,

0:56:08.680 --> 0:56:11.719
<v Speaker 1>eight years old at the Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati.

0:56:11.760 --> 0:56:13.960
<v Speaker 1>You throw the football and hang out and talk about life.

0:56:14.000 --> 0:56:16.919
<v Speaker 1>And like, I've been waiting this entire season for this game,

0:56:17.000 --> 0:56:20.120
<v Speaker 1>and I hope you'd be healthy and like playing because

0:56:20.840 --> 0:56:22.320
<v Speaker 1>I just couldn't wait to tell you I made it.

0:56:23.040 --> 0:56:26.440
<v Speaker 1>And I remember just what I blacked out. It was

0:56:26.480 --> 0:56:29.120
<v Speaker 1>such an insane moment, like that I was like, wow.

0:56:29.440 --> 0:56:32.960
<v Speaker 1>And then fast forward that game that season to the

0:56:33.040 --> 0:56:35.279
<v Speaker 1>Super Bowl a week and win wat's Patman of the

0:56:35.360 --> 0:56:37.759
<v Speaker 1>Year and they find out I'm going to talk about

0:56:37.800 --> 0:56:39.239
<v Speaker 1>this because you have to send in what you're going

0:56:39.320 --> 0:56:42.680
<v Speaker 1>to talk about, and they fly to Derek Barnes there

0:56:42.680 --> 0:56:45.200
<v Speaker 1>and he's in the crowd for the watch Pagman of

0:56:45.239 --> 0:56:47.040
<v Speaker 1>the Year and I win it and I get to

0:56:47.080 --> 0:56:49.840
<v Speaker 1>get this speech and talk about it and what a

0:56:49.960 --> 0:56:55.120
<v Speaker 1>just insane moment, crazy, crazy emotional moment. And then three

0:56:55.200 --> 0:56:57.160
<v Speaker 1>days later, you play in the Super Bowl against the

0:56:57.160 --> 0:56:59.239
<v Speaker 1>team that you gave your heart and soul to you

0:56:59.480 --> 0:57:02.600
<v Speaker 1>win it. And to close that story, I ran and

0:57:02.760 --> 0:57:06.000
<v Speaker 1>gave Joe Burrow a hug, Zach Taylor, and I ran

0:57:06.200 --> 0:57:09.680
<v Speaker 1>to look up at my family just to make eye

0:57:09.719 --> 0:57:12.840
<v Speaker 1>contact with him until I love them. And Michael Lee Whitworth,

0:57:13.040 --> 0:57:15.600
<v Speaker 1>who was crying at his mama's lap in twenty eighteen,

0:57:16.240 --> 0:57:19.040
<v Speaker 1>is standing at the front of the Raptors, both arms up,

0:57:19.680 --> 0:57:23.000
<v Speaker 1>biceps flexed up, you know, ten years old, and thinks

0:57:23.040 --> 0:57:26.680
<v Speaker 1>he runs the world now with a massive smile. And

0:57:26.880 --> 0:57:30.280
<v Speaker 1>it's still one of the coolest moments for me. I'll

0:57:30.320 --> 0:57:32.680
<v Speaker 1>never forget the image of one him crying in the

0:57:32.720 --> 0:57:35.720
<v Speaker 1>first one and two him standing there making eye contact

0:57:35.920 --> 0:57:37.880
<v Speaker 1>with me. And the second one that it hit home.

0:57:38.520 --> 0:57:41.640
<v Speaker 1>He couldn't wait, you know, for redemption and what a

0:57:41.720 --> 0:57:42.360
<v Speaker 1>special moment.

0:57:42.920 --> 0:57:47.240
<v Speaker 2>That's awesome. God, that's just so I mean, yeah, it

0:57:47.480 --> 0:57:51.000
<v Speaker 2>is like a movie because it's crazy. Yeah, it's yeah,

0:57:51.080 --> 0:57:54.920
<v Speaker 2>you can't you can't imagine it. And I know how

0:57:55.000 --> 0:57:58.000
<v Speaker 2>much the being I mean, clearly, it's so clear here

0:57:58.080 --> 0:58:01.800
<v Speaker 2>how much the Bengals organization means to you. And you know,

0:58:01.960 --> 0:58:05.800
<v Speaker 2>hopefully they are on a path now that brings them success.

0:58:05.960 --> 0:58:08.640
<v Speaker 2>It certainly looks like they will over the next few years.

0:58:10.080 --> 0:58:12.800
<v Speaker 2>I got to talk about your foundation, Big Wit seventy

0:58:12.880 --> 0:58:17.120
<v Speaker 2>seven foundation, not only the winner of the twenty twenty

0:58:17.200 --> 0:58:19.880
<v Speaker 2>one Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which many

0:58:20.000 --> 0:58:24.400
<v Speaker 2>consider to be the most prestigious award given to an

0:58:24.520 --> 0:58:28.080
<v Speaker 2>NFL player every year. Also in twenty nineteen you win

0:58:28.160 --> 0:58:32.640
<v Speaker 2>the Allen Page Community Award winner because you leave Fort Thomas, Kentucky,

0:58:32.800 --> 0:58:35.880
<v Speaker 2>and you come to LA and immediately make an impact

0:58:36.040 --> 0:58:39.720
<v Speaker 2>here giving money and helping and made an impression here.

0:58:40.520 --> 0:58:43.120
<v Speaker 2>You're still in Los Angeles now, I know you're working

0:58:43.480 --> 0:58:48.280
<v Speaker 2>for Thursday Night Football tell people how they can become

0:58:48.360 --> 0:58:51.280
<v Speaker 2>involved or what Big Wit seventy seven Foundation is doing.

0:58:51.400 --> 0:58:53.680
<v Speaker 1>Now. Yeah, you know, I think for us, when we

0:58:53.840 --> 0:58:56.600
<v Speaker 1>lived in Louisiana and played in Cincinnati, we kind of

0:58:56.640 --> 0:58:58.680
<v Speaker 1>created a foundation to help us do stuff when the

0:58:58.800 --> 0:59:01.760
<v Speaker 1>Louisiana and then much less I do here in LA.

0:59:02.640 --> 0:59:05.040
<v Speaker 1>We just kind of personally served in Cincinnati, whether it

0:59:05.120 --> 0:59:07.480
<v Speaker 1>be different foundations to the Boys and Girls Club and

0:59:08.080 --> 0:59:11.680
<v Speaker 1>Big Brothers, Big Sisters, you name it, really all kinds

0:59:11.720 --> 0:59:13.520
<v Speaker 1>of foundations in Cincinnati that we got to be a

0:59:13.600 --> 0:59:16.000
<v Speaker 1>part of. It was great and an amazing experience being

0:59:16.040 --> 0:59:18.160
<v Speaker 1>part of that community. And then we created some of

0:59:18.200 --> 0:59:20.240
<v Speaker 1>our own little things that we would do Christmas time

0:59:20.320 --> 0:59:23.360
<v Speaker 1>and things like that. But then I got to be

0:59:23.400 --> 0:59:25.440
<v Speaker 1>a part of our and Lewis's Foundation, which did a

0:59:25.480 --> 0:59:29.080
<v Speaker 1>lot of stuff in schools and helping develop education for

0:59:29.240 --> 0:59:30.800
<v Speaker 1>kids and those things. So I had a lot of

0:59:30.840 --> 0:59:32.480
<v Speaker 1>things that I could take with me when I came

0:59:32.520 --> 0:59:34.040
<v Speaker 1>to LA and I was like, man, I want to

0:59:34.080 --> 0:59:37.360
<v Speaker 1>do some stuff. The Rams, you know, had just moved

0:59:37.400 --> 0:59:40.320
<v Speaker 1>there a year before I got there, so they'd only

0:59:40.360 --> 0:59:42.400
<v Speaker 1>been there one year moving back from Saint Louis, so

0:59:42.600 --> 0:59:44.720
<v Speaker 1>they didn't really have a lot of things in the

0:59:44.800 --> 0:59:46.760
<v Speaker 1>ground doing that kind of stuff yet and then trying

0:59:46.840 --> 0:59:49.080
<v Speaker 1>and getting it going. So it was a great timing

0:59:49.160 --> 0:59:51.760
<v Speaker 1>for me to get involved and already have a background

0:59:52.040 --> 0:59:53.560
<v Speaker 1>things that have worked for me and things that had

0:59:54.000 --> 0:59:57.160
<v Speaker 1>so in LA it's been insane. I mean, one of

0:59:57.200 --> 0:59:59.480
<v Speaker 1>the coolest moments of that year winning Waltz Payton was

0:59:59.520 --> 1:00:02.360
<v Speaker 1>when I actually got told I was nominated again, I think,

1:00:02.440 --> 1:00:06.080
<v Speaker 1>which was my fifth time being nominated. They had created

1:00:06.160 --> 1:00:10.800
<v Speaker 1>a board that you could literally press the buttons like

1:00:10.840 --> 1:00:14.000
<v Speaker 1>an app and it'd show you whatever area that was

1:00:14.080 --> 1:00:16.600
<v Speaker 1>and whatever I had done, whatever I'd done in that community.

1:00:16.920 --> 1:00:18.960
<v Speaker 1>They'd have somebody who was speaking and they'd kind of

1:00:19.000 --> 1:00:21.680
<v Speaker 1>tell you what, you know, their appreciation was for what

1:00:21.800 --> 1:00:24.440
<v Speaker 1>you've done, and maybe tell the story. And so there

1:00:24.560 --> 1:00:27.000
<v Speaker 1>was like I forget the number. It was like forty

1:00:27.160 --> 1:00:31.240
<v Speaker 1>something spots all over Los Angeles and it literally like

1:00:31.480 --> 1:00:34.240
<v Speaker 1>was so cool because it mapped like all over the city.

1:00:34.280 --> 1:00:36.360
<v Speaker 1>It was so wide range. It was just insane to

1:00:36.440 --> 1:00:38.000
<v Speaker 1>look at it and go back and think of the

1:00:38.080 --> 1:00:41.240
<v Speaker 1>five years that there's been that many places You've had

1:00:41.240 --> 1:00:43.240
<v Speaker 1>an impact and got to do something be a part

1:00:43.280 --> 1:00:45.560
<v Speaker 1>of whether it was through social justice stuff, like I'd

1:00:45.600 --> 1:00:48.720
<v Speaker 1>created a fund with the Rams myself that I matched

1:00:48.760 --> 1:00:52.000
<v Speaker 1>every dollar that the players and coaches gave. You know,

1:00:52.120 --> 1:00:54.479
<v Speaker 1>I had created two STEM labs. I built two STEM

1:00:54.560 --> 1:00:58.200
<v Speaker 1>labs in schools, done a lot of school visits and

1:00:58.280 --> 1:01:00.760
<v Speaker 1>things like that, and so it was an I experience,

1:01:00.880 --> 1:01:03.120
<v Speaker 1>you know, really being a part of all that. So

1:01:03.200 --> 1:01:05.240
<v Speaker 1>I think the best thing to me that people can

1:01:05.320 --> 1:01:08.200
<v Speaker 1>do is it's really not about me, just finding ways

1:01:08.280 --> 1:01:10.840
<v Speaker 1>man to make people's day. As I've always said, like

1:01:10.920 --> 1:01:13.120
<v Speaker 1>I don't care if you're in college and you're struggling,

1:01:13.280 --> 1:01:17.560
<v Speaker 1>Like open the door for somebody, see somebody drop their backpack,

1:01:17.720 --> 1:01:20.320
<v Speaker 1>like help them pick it up. You know, like those

1:01:20.400 --> 1:01:23.640
<v Speaker 1>little things matter a lot more than people think. So

1:01:23.800 --> 1:01:25.840
<v Speaker 1>to me, like it's not about a dollar amount somebody

1:01:25.840 --> 1:01:28.320
<v Speaker 1>can give me or do for me, But man, look

1:01:28.360 --> 1:01:30.840
<v Speaker 1>for ways that you can make life about more than

1:01:31.000 --> 1:01:33.760
<v Speaker 1>just you, and I bet you'll find out you'll be

1:01:33.800 --> 1:01:35.880
<v Speaker 1>a whole lot happier. So I think for me, that's

1:01:35.920 --> 1:01:38.280
<v Speaker 1>really what it's all been about. There's no one mission,

1:01:38.880 --> 1:01:42.760
<v Speaker 1>there's no one foundation. It's like, man, tell me somewhere

1:01:42.800 --> 1:01:44.760
<v Speaker 1>that I can like put my hand out and help

1:01:44.840 --> 1:01:45.400
<v Speaker 1>somebody up.

1:01:46.080 --> 1:01:49.400
<v Speaker 2>I'm all in it takes just as much energy to

1:01:49.480 --> 1:01:51.120
<v Speaker 2>be nice as it does to be an asshole.

1:01:51.800 --> 1:01:52.400
<v Speaker 1>That's the truth.

1:01:52.840 --> 1:01:57.520
<v Speaker 2>That's my philosophy. You're at on Thursday night football. You

1:01:57.600 --> 1:02:01.840
<v Speaker 2>guys got a ton of press, really really entertaining, a

1:02:02.000 --> 1:02:08.200
<v Speaker 2>new I would say, fun kind of pre and post

1:02:08.360 --> 1:02:12.560
<v Speaker 2>and a halftime show. There you having fun doing it.

1:02:13.480 --> 1:02:16.720
<v Speaker 1>It's been a blast. I never thought I would do it.

1:02:16.800 --> 1:02:20.160
<v Speaker 1>I mean, throughout my entire career, I avoided all media stuff,

1:02:21.360 --> 1:02:24.000
<v Speaker 1>never really wanted to have a social presence, like social media,

1:02:24.000 --> 1:02:25.840
<v Speaker 1>any of that type stuff really for the most part.

1:02:25.880 --> 1:02:28.720
<v Speaker 1>I mean, but I got into it because I just

1:02:28.840 --> 1:02:30.840
<v Speaker 1>got I was like, man, how can it? When I retired,

1:02:30.920 --> 1:02:32.560
<v Speaker 1>it was like all these things were thrown at me.

1:02:33.240 --> 1:02:35.960
<v Speaker 1>There was a lot of insanely cool offers to like

1:02:36.040 --> 1:02:38.000
<v Speaker 1>stay involved in the game of football, whether it be

1:02:38.040 --> 1:02:40.240
<v Speaker 1>in the front office somewhere or anything, just because people

1:02:40.320 --> 1:02:42.120
<v Speaker 1>kind of knew my passion for that kind of stuff.

1:02:42.560 --> 1:02:44.480
<v Speaker 1>But I just felt like that wasn't what I wanted

1:02:44.520 --> 1:02:46.520
<v Speaker 1>to do to still have all the family time I wanted.

1:02:46.640 --> 1:02:48.800
<v Speaker 1>So I kept trying to explore what's another option to

1:02:48.800 --> 1:02:51.880
<v Speaker 1>stay involved in this game? Talk about this game, talk

1:02:51.920 --> 1:02:54.840
<v Speaker 1>about something I love that's changed my life, and that

1:02:55.040 --> 1:02:57.320
<v Speaker 1>became like, hey, well you could always do this. And

1:02:58.080 --> 1:03:00.600
<v Speaker 1>at that point, as you know, in tea and everything else,

1:03:00.640 --> 1:03:02.440
<v Speaker 1>like I am so like we're talking about six months

1:03:02.480 --> 1:03:05.240
<v Speaker 1>from now, like you're so behind eight ball, like buddy,

1:03:05.280 --> 1:03:08.040
<v Speaker 1>they've given those jobs out a long time ago, and

1:03:08.240 --> 1:03:12.720
<v Speaker 1>so I literally like just start bugging the crap out

1:03:12.760 --> 1:03:14.680
<v Speaker 1>of people like I'm like, you give me. I've always

1:03:14.720 --> 1:03:16.040
<v Speaker 1>been that kind of person, like I got to tell

1:03:16.080 --> 1:03:19.000
<v Speaker 1>people like, hey, I'll never forget, like sitting down with

1:03:19.080 --> 1:03:21.160
<v Speaker 1>Josh Pye at the first time and he's just like, well, man,

1:03:21.200 --> 1:03:23.880
<v Speaker 1>that's these decisions are like kind of made pretty good

1:03:24.080 --> 1:03:26.000
<v Speaker 1>while back, like I don't know what we do from here,

1:03:26.640 --> 1:03:29.440
<v Speaker 1>and I'm like, man, listen, Josh, put me in the room.

1:03:29.760 --> 1:03:31.560
<v Speaker 1>I'll do the rest, Like that's all I want. You

1:03:31.600 --> 1:03:33.680
<v Speaker 1>give me in that room, I'll handle the rest. Or

1:03:33.760 --> 1:03:35.360
<v Speaker 1>give me a chance to speak to somebody on the phone,

1:03:36.200 --> 1:03:38.640
<v Speaker 1>like that's how much I care. Like and if people

1:03:38.760 --> 1:03:40.840
<v Speaker 1>care and they like me, then ready to work. If

1:03:40.880 --> 1:03:43.800
<v Speaker 1>it doesn't, oh well, And so you know, we went

1:03:43.840 --> 1:03:46.960
<v Speaker 1>through that process and it was crazy and I had

1:03:47.040 --> 1:03:51.000
<v Speaker 1>no idea where I'd end up. And Thursday nights sounded

1:03:51.080 --> 1:03:53.479
<v Speaker 1>really cool to be able to like coach my kids

1:03:53.560 --> 1:03:55.880
<v Speaker 1>throughout the week, go somewhere and do a game and

1:03:55.920 --> 1:03:57.880
<v Speaker 1>talk about a game, and then be back Saturdays for

1:03:58.000 --> 1:04:01.000
<v Speaker 1>their games. I was like, man, this this would be awesome.

1:04:01.720 --> 1:04:04.720
<v Speaker 1>And sure enough I got an opportunity to be a contributor.

1:04:05.440 --> 1:04:07.800
<v Speaker 1>One thing led to another and you get an opt

1:04:07.880 --> 1:04:09.720
<v Speaker 1>to sit on the desk one week and they're like,

1:04:10.680 --> 1:04:14.440
<v Speaker 1>we liked it, come back, and then you know, you

1:04:14.600 --> 1:04:18.080
<v Speaker 1>go from being a contributor to like, you know, hey,

1:04:18.280 --> 1:04:19.640
<v Speaker 1>we're gonna have you sit up there every week and

1:04:19.680 --> 1:04:21.520
<v Speaker 1>you'll be part of this team. And so it was

1:04:22.000 --> 1:04:26.840
<v Speaker 1>an insane, crazy, so much fun, such a humbling experience

1:04:26.960 --> 1:04:28.520
<v Speaker 1>to get to be up there every week. I mean,

1:04:28.640 --> 1:04:32.920
<v Speaker 1>Richard Shearon, Ron Kitzpatrick, Carrissa, Tony Gonzalez, I mean insane.

1:04:32.960 --> 1:04:35.959
<v Speaker 1>It'stead at that desk with some awesome iconic people. Really

1:04:37.120 --> 1:04:39.680
<v Speaker 1>and then you add Michael Smith and Taylor Rooks and man,

1:04:39.760 --> 1:04:42.200
<v Speaker 1>I mean what a cool I mean, what a insane crew.

1:04:42.240 --> 1:04:44.240
<v Speaker 1>And then by the way, it's Al Michael's and Kirk

1:04:44.280 --> 1:04:47.120
<v Speaker 1>Kirk Street calling the game and Kaylee Hardcom is an

1:04:47.200 --> 1:04:51.440
<v Speaker 1>LSU Tiger, you know, a lover and I've known Kayley forever. Honestly,

1:04:51.480 --> 1:04:53.479
<v Speaker 1>it couldn't have been more of a family from the jump.

1:04:53.520 --> 1:04:55.360
<v Speaker 1>And I always tell people to me, that's what sticks

1:04:55.400 --> 1:04:57.760
<v Speaker 1>out for folks. I mean, I don't really go back

1:04:57.800 --> 1:05:00.800
<v Speaker 1>and watch our stuff. I can't do that well, but

1:05:01.440 --> 1:05:04.200
<v Speaker 1>I do know what we're like the way I can't.

1:05:04.640 --> 1:05:08.760
<v Speaker 1>So that's that's the weirdest thing ever. Yeah, but it

1:05:08.880 --> 1:05:11.120
<v Speaker 1>sticks out when we go somewhere on the road, everyone

1:05:11.240 --> 1:05:14.640
<v Speaker 1>meets up, everyone's at dinner, everyone's together in the hotel

1:05:14.840 --> 1:05:16.800
<v Speaker 1>and the lobby. You know, it's like you can hardly

1:05:17.000 --> 1:05:19.640
<v Speaker 1>work out or function or do anything because it's like

1:05:19.680 --> 1:05:21.720
<v Speaker 1>we all have to be together every five seconds. And

1:05:21.840 --> 1:05:24.600
<v Speaker 1>so you can just tell that they put a really

1:05:24.720 --> 1:05:27.880
<v Speaker 1>unique group of just we're a family from the jump,

1:05:27.920 --> 1:05:29.120
<v Speaker 1>and it's it's been a lot of fun.

1:05:29.680 --> 1:05:32.840
<v Speaker 2>That's awesome. Best team in the AFC this year is.

1:05:34.920 --> 1:05:37.200
<v Speaker 1>Oh man. I mean, I don't know that you ever

1:05:37.640 --> 1:05:40.120
<v Speaker 1>go against what passion my homes pulled off last year.

1:05:40.160 --> 1:05:42.520
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I learned my lesson. I was the person

1:05:42.680 --> 1:05:46.120
<v Speaker 1>right there with everybody else. Tyreek Hill's gone, you know,

1:05:46.360 --> 1:05:49.960
<v Speaker 1>they're not going to be as good. I'm just I'm

1:05:50.240 --> 1:05:52.960
<v Speaker 1>biting the hole cheese. You know, look, I love Patrick.

1:05:52.960 --> 1:05:54.840
<v Speaker 1>I think he's amazing on so much he can do.

1:05:56.560 --> 1:05:58.760
<v Speaker 1>I was an idiot right there with everybody else at

1:05:58.760 --> 1:06:01.280
<v Speaker 1>the end of the day. So you know, I'll never

1:06:01.360 --> 1:06:05.160
<v Speaker 1>pick against Patrick and until somebody else proves me different.

1:06:05.240 --> 1:06:07.560
<v Speaker 1>So I'm going Kansaity Chiefs again. I will say this,

1:06:07.760 --> 1:06:10.640
<v Speaker 1>I think there's some really intriguing teams, like I got

1:06:10.720 --> 1:06:15.000
<v Speaker 1>this sneaky like I just feel like Baltimore or Pittsburgh. No,

1:06:15.120 --> 1:06:17.440
<v Speaker 1>I feel like people aren't respecting those two teams and

1:06:17.520 --> 1:06:20.760
<v Speaker 1>how talented they really are. Pittsburgh, you know what, Mike

1:06:20.840 --> 1:06:24.160
<v Speaker 1>Tomlin's a dog man. I mean that dude every year

1:06:24.280 --> 1:06:26.720
<v Speaker 1>finds a way to win. And this year. You go

1:06:26.920 --> 1:06:29.280
<v Speaker 1>look at Mike Tomlind's history. When they're good on D

1:06:29.480 --> 1:06:32.600
<v Speaker 1>line and O line, they're pretty special. They have pretty

1:06:32.640 --> 1:06:35.320
<v Speaker 1>good years because it's just the way that dude coaches football.

1:06:35.520 --> 1:06:37.760
<v Speaker 1>And so I think they're gonna be pretty good up

1:06:37.760 --> 1:06:40.280
<v Speaker 1>front on most sides, and I think it's gonna be

1:06:40.360 --> 1:06:42.080
<v Speaker 1>interesting to see where that team ends up. And then

1:06:42.080 --> 1:06:44.560
<v Speaker 1>I think Baltimore is like that team nobody's talking about.

1:06:45.000 --> 1:06:48.680
<v Speaker 1>It really has the roster to end up in pre

1:06:48.880 --> 1:06:50.320
<v Speaker 1>dag I'm good at the end of the year. So

1:06:50.680 --> 1:06:52.520
<v Speaker 1>I think there's some sneaky teams that are gonna be

1:06:52.560 --> 1:06:56.400
<v Speaker 1>interesting to see. The Jets, obviously, with Aaron Rodgers, are

1:06:56.440 --> 1:06:59.640
<v Speaker 1>going to be insanely good. I think to me, it's

1:06:59.720 --> 1:07:02.840
<v Speaker 1>really right now as I sit here, it's New York

1:07:02.920 --> 1:07:05.680
<v Speaker 1>Jets or Kansas City Chiefs. Is the two best teams.

1:07:05.800 --> 1:07:08.360
<v Speaker 1>Just because you look at the Jets last year when

1:07:08.400 --> 1:07:12.840
<v Speaker 1>they had half decent quarterback play, they won with Aaron

1:07:12.840 --> 1:07:15.480
<v Speaker 1>and how special he is man, that team should be

1:07:16.440 --> 1:07:18.840
<v Speaker 1>really really good. I think the Jets is gonna be

1:07:18.840 --> 1:07:20.800
<v Speaker 1>an interesting that way. You kind of see that as

1:07:20.840 --> 1:07:22.960
<v Speaker 1>they start to gel all of a sudden become really

1:07:23.040 --> 1:07:23.600
<v Speaker 1>really special.

1:07:24.480 --> 1:07:28.120
<v Speaker 2>NFC. Who's the best team in the NFC? The I mean, the.

1:07:28.160 --> 1:07:31.320
<v Speaker 1>Eagles are are right there and the Niners is just

1:07:31.880 --> 1:07:35.080
<v Speaker 1>can Brock party back it up? I mean the Niners roster,

1:07:36.200 --> 1:07:38.600
<v Speaker 1>I mean Javon Hargrave moving over there from the Eagles.

1:07:38.640 --> 1:07:40.640
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I don't think people understand how good he

1:07:40.880 --> 1:07:43.920
<v Speaker 1>was last year. I think to me, that's the eagles

1:07:43.960 --> 1:07:46.360
<v Speaker 1>biggest question mark is losing somebody like him at the

1:07:46.400 --> 1:07:49.120
<v Speaker 1>production that he had. It's one of those things that

1:07:49.480 --> 1:07:51.880
<v Speaker 1>you know it's gonna be tougher for those Eagles guys

1:07:51.960 --> 1:07:54.840
<v Speaker 1>to win on the edge without somebody's specials. He was

1:07:55.000 --> 1:07:57.880
<v Speaker 1>an interior rusher. And when he goes to San Francisco,

1:07:58.080 --> 1:07:59.760
<v Speaker 1>Nick Bos is gonna be the happiest dude on the

1:07:59.760 --> 1:08:03.480
<v Speaker 1>play because now when teams say we're gonna double him

1:08:04.240 --> 1:08:06.280
<v Speaker 1>or we're gonna take extra attention, he's got a guy

1:08:06.280 --> 1:08:08.520
<v Speaker 1>who's gonna win beside him, and they can't always do that.

1:08:08.840 --> 1:08:12.560
<v Speaker 1>So I think San Francisco is going to be crazy special.

1:08:12.720 --> 1:08:15.720
<v Speaker 1>I just don't know. Can Rock Party take the next

1:08:15.760 --> 1:08:17.760
<v Speaker 1>step as he continued to be that guy or was

1:08:17.840 --> 1:08:21.360
<v Speaker 1>that just a crazy good streak he had. We'll find out.

1:08:21.400 --> 1:08:23.639
<v Speaker 1>It's much like what we didn't know about Jalen Hurts

1:08:23.720 --> 1:08:24.200
<v Speaker 1>last year.

1:08:25.360 --> 1:08:29.920
<v Speaker 2>Good luck with the season, always entertaining. Always good to

1:08:30.000 --> 1:08:32.880
<v Speaker 2>see you have so much fun on Thursday nights. Know this,

1:08:33.160 --> 1:08:36.000
<v Speaker 2>I'll be watching for sure. And thanks for coming and

1:08:36.080 --> 1:08:36.479
<v Speaker 2>talking to.

1:08:36.560 --> 1:08:38.840
<v Speaker 1>Me, man. I appreciate the owner. Man. It was a

1:08:38.880 --> 1:08:40.519
<v Speaker 1>lot of fun, and I can't wait for the year. Man,

1:08:40.520 --> 1:08:42.559
<v Speaker 1>it's gonna be excited year two in the new career.

1:08:42.640 --> 1:08:46.000
<v Speaker 1>The next year, go go, Let's go.

1:08:58.640 --> 1:09:01.720
<v Speaker 2>Thanks so much, my friend. That was a great time.

1:09:02.000 --> 1:09:05.840
<v Speaker 2>You are awesome. Thanks for your perspective. I know if

1:09:06.000 --> 1:09:08.920
<v Speaker 2>no one else here is. I am excited for the

1:09:08.960 --> 1:09:13.600
<v Speaker 2>football season to begin. Thanks for coming on here. Listeners,

1:09:14.040 --> 1:09:17.920
<v Speaker 2>Thank you for what you do listen in the case

1:09:17.960 --> 1:09:20.080
<v Speaker 2>of this podcast. But you know what, you can also

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<v Speaker 2>be so much more than a listener. You could be

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<v Speaker 2>could be a follower by following us at Off the

1:09:34.840 --> 1:09:38.000
<v Speaker 2>Beat on Instagram. Whatever you want to be, you be,

1:09:38.439 --> 1:09:40.080
<v Speaker 2>and you know where to find me. It is right

1:09:40.160 --> 1:09:43.559
<v Speaker 2>here every Tuesday. So have a great week and enjoy

1:09:44.240 --> 1:09:55.600
<v Speaker 2>the NFL opening week. Off the Beat is hosted and

1:09:55.680 --> 1:10:00.439
<v Speaker 2>executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer

1:10:00.640 --> 1:10:04.680
<v Speaker 2>Lang Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers

1:10:04.720 --> 1:10:08.400
<v Speaker 2>are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent

1:10:08.479 --> 1:10:12.519
<v Speaker 2>producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Ali

1:10:12.640 --> 1:10:17.120
<v Speaker 2>Amir Sahied. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by

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<v Speaker 2>the one and only Creed Bratton