WEBVTT - Pats from the Past: Episode 29, Drew Bledsoe 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:09.360 It's time for another edition of Patch in the Past. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:11.479 Matt Smith year bringing you this one all the way 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:15.080 from Bend, Oregon. And that can only mean one thing. 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:20.040 The og of Number eleven's patriotsaffin quarterback Drew Bledsoe, good 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:20.360 to see you. 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:22.759 Thanks you for making some time for us. Yeah, thanks 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:25.080 for making the trip out here. And uh, and I'm 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.600 proud of you because you know, most people like back 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:32.040 east call it Orgon. They call it Oregon, Oregon. So 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.640 but you've actually, you know, you pronounced it correctly. 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.360 Oregon Oregon. Yeah, Oregon. It's like what you get shot 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:38.599 with or correct organ. 0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:41.080 So I think many Patriot fans know what you're up 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:44.360 to these days, Drew, but most every but not everybody does. 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:46.480 Sure tell us what you're up to these days? Yeah, 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:47.159 we you know. 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.280 On the business front, we started this winery the year 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:52.880 after I retired from ball. My last year was six 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:55.000 and we started Double Back Winery in two thousand and seven. 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:58.640 And on the business front, it's been a really cool ride. 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:01.480 The funny thing is just realized recently, I've now been 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:03.480 in the wine business for the same amount of time 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:07.559 I was in the NFL, and boy, it's uh it's 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.280 become a lot of things that we hoped and a 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.080 lot of things we never could have foreseen. But it's 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:12.520 a it's a really cool thing to be a part 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:12.840 of now. 0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:15.240 So now you're gonna make me waste this what I thought. 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:16.600 This was a good question, by the way, and I 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:18.440 just thought of this on the plane. You're gonna make 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:20.520 me waste this early. So I was going to ask you, 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.319 are you a former pro football player who just got 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:26.560 into the wine business, right, or are you in the 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:29.480 wine business and I used to play football. 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:32.040 It's the latter. I'm in the wine business and I 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:33.240 used to play football. 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:37.000 That's unbelievable to hear you say that, but it makes sense. 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:41.960 Well, you know, it's now those things you know, I mean, 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.240 life is life. They doesn't exist in a vacuum, you know. 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:48.520 And the football thing has certainly helped us in the 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.520 wine business in a lot of different ways that I 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:51.880 know that We'll get into you in a little bit, 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:53.640 but but. 0:01:53.720 --> 0:01:55.240 No, this is what we're doing now. So this is 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:57.800 what I do. You know, and I don't. I don't. 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:00.520 I don't hide from the football thing. I'd love the 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.800 football thing, and it's a really really cool part of 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:03.160 my life. 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:05.240 But now now we're now we're in the wine business. 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:07.040 Why wine? 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:09.280 Uh. There are a. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:14.280 Few obvious reasons for that, the most obvious being that 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.359 we really like wine. Got into that while we were playing. 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:22.080 But then when I discovered that my little hometown was 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.680 growing some of the best wine grapes in the world, like, oh, okay, 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:28.200 you know, now I've got. Now I've got you know, 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:30.799 a couple of things working for me, you know, going 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:33.040 back home and to a small town and being having 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:35.959 the hometown boy advantage of being able to get the 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.000 right property, get the right wine makers, you know, and 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:41.280 and and use that competitive advantage. And then to have 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.480 the story you know of being a small town kid 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:49.240 and coming home that really allowed us to go, you know, 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:51.120 a level up from what we would have done have 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.840 we not had that tie. And then the other part, Matt, 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:57.480 that that that is you know, that's that's important. It's like, shoot, 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:00.520 you know, when I retired, I was thirty five years old. 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:03.120 You know, there's a lot of life left to live. 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:07.079 And you know, we talked earlier a little bit about golf. 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:08.520 I like to play golf, but I'm not good enough 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:09.760 for golf to go play every day. I don't like 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.280 it enough to go play every day and sitting around 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:17.400 and you know, doing nothing. You know, there's no truer 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.000 statement than idle hands being the devil's workshop, right, I 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.079 can get myself in trouble, and I really, truly, from 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.640 on a personal, you know, ego level, wanted to prove 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.160 that I could be successful again it's something different, and 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.480 then start over and be a rookie again and build 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:35.440 something from the ground up. 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.560 So we were talking earlier before we started here about 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:41.839 all the different wine companies out here, in wineries out here. 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:45.080 I think people would be surprised to know this is 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.000 a really competitive business and there's a former team sport 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.560 athlete who's tried to get the ultimate pinnacle of where 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.560 you're going. Does this scratch your rich from a competitive standpoint? 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:55.240 You know, people have asked me, You're like, hey, you 0:03:55.280 --> 0:03:58.720 know you left football, how do you scratch that competitive itch? 0:03:58.920 --> 0:03:59.040 Well? 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:02.000 I love football, and I got into the most competitive 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:04.920 industry in the world by the number of products every year, 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.360 there are roughly fifty thousand unique bottles of wine made 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.119 worldwide every year, and you got to try and stand 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:12.560 out in that crowd. So if you're not competing every 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:16.160 day at every aspect of your business, you're going to 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:16.760 get passed. 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:19.039 Now. The one nice thing is that you know, in. 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.120 You know, pro football or professional team sports, in order 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:25.839 for me to win, the other guys to lose and 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:27.400 want them to lose really bad. 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:28.920 Especially if it's the Jets, I want them to lose 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:29.719 really really bad. 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:32.800 But in our industry, if my neighbor has success, that's 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:35.320 actually good for my business. And so there's a there's 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:38.039 a pretty open sharing of information, you know, where we 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:41.200 want our neighbor to be excellent. We just want to 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:41.920 be more excellent. 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:45.480 That's fascinating. But on somebody like a guy who you 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:47.680 played with, the Damon Hewart, do you want to bury 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:49.800 humor to bust his balls that. 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:51.239 Your wine's better than his wine? 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:53.840 You know, when you know the person, does it make 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:54.800 it a little bit more fun? 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.120 I guess it makes it more fun. 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:59.800 And it's you know, it's it's it's a rivalry, but 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:00.919 it's a friendly rivalry. 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.719 But we but we share information, you know. 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:05.560 But at the end of the day, you're like, Okay, 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:07.480 well we're still going to try to be better, but 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:09.080 we're also going to try to help him out as 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.520 much as we possibly can. 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.560 Interesting, All right, let's switch here to football. 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:18.360 Was it important to you to be the number one 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:22.600 overall pick? We talked about competitiveness. I don't know how 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:24.400 well you admire knew each other going in and or 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:26.840 was it was that important to you, like I want 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:27.760 to be drafted before you. 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:31.320 Well, I mean, look, if you get picked first at Recess, 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.080 that's pretty cool, right, you know. I mean, let's be honest, 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.840 and being the number one overall pick that, you know, 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:39.560 that's something that you can wear as a badge of 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:41.800 honor forever and ever. You know, you were the you know, 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:44.320 there's other awards and so on, but ultimately, you know, 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.520 you were the best player that year. And so that's 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:49.680 a really cool thing. Rick and I actually ended up 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:51.840 being really great friends. They tried to play us off 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:56.440 as as rivals when we were coming in. And the 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:58.080 funny thing is we went for the first time we 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:00.919 met was in New York City. We flew out to 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:05.160 do an ESPN deal with Joe Heisman, and which at 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.279 that point meant that we mostly sat around and listened 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:09.480 to Joe uh talk and Joe, I hope you hear 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:13.479 this someday. But Rick and I ended up having a 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.000 ton in common and we've been great friends really since 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.560 the first time we ever met was you know, just 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:20.359 saw him a couple of weeks ago. And he's in 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:22.440 the wine business also. He's making some killer wine down 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:27.200 in NAPA under his Mirror label. But yeah, man, being 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.320 the number one overall pick, he can't take that back. 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.280 You know, it comes with a whole box of tricks, 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:34.080 you know, that go along with it, not the not 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.640 the least of which being that the team that picks 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:41.200 number one is usually a pretty shitty football team, because 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.560 that's how they got to pick number one. But yeah, no, 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:45.720 I was that's a cool thing. 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:50.400 What if anything, did you know about New England other 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:54.000 than there aforementioned lack of football expertise. 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:55.880 I did not know very much at all. 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:58.680 As a matter of fact, one of the one of 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.920 the only players out side of Andre Tippett that I 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.599 knew of coming in was Irving Friar, and he was 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:07.320 gone by the time I got there, you know, Bill 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:09.240 sent him down to to the Dolphins. 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:11.400 I did not know very much. 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.720 You just said that that just sparked something that that 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:20.720 game down in Miami, you and Coats, Danny and Irving Fryar. 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:24.160 I mean, I know that there's Patriot fans who couldn't 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.760 have cared less about football back of the time you 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:30.120 lost the game, which ultimately that's what matters. But they're 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:34.960 Patriot fans today to talk about that reverentially that you know, 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:39.320 gunslinging game. I assume other than the you look, time 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.000 is kills, all wounds. You wanted to win the game. 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:43.400 But do you look back at that game and go, 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:44.520 that was fun? 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:44.760 Man? 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:47.760 Well you also have to realize, you know, for me, 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.240 that's Dann Marino, right, and you know that he was 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:51.640 part of. 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:53.240 That was it the eighty three draft class? 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:56.720 Yes, and so I was eleven when he got drafted, 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.680 and so him and l Way and Jim Kelly and 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:03.200 all those guys, you know, they were my heroes right 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:06.960 about the time that I started to watch football, and 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:08.960 so all of a sudden for me, you know, I'm 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:12.760 out there going toe to toe with Dan Marino, and 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:14.600 you know it's sort of one of those whoever had 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:16.040 the ball last was going to win the game. 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:19.000 And for me, that was I mean, that was awesome, 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:19.360 you know. 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:21.800 And then I think the next week we had a 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:25.000 showdown that was very, very similar with which Kell. 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:29.320 Yeah right, and for me it was really really cool. 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.120 But it was also sort of one of those deals 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:33.920 where like, Okay, yeah, no, I belong here. You know, 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:36.040 I can go toe to toe with these with my heroes, 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:39.480 and you know, after the game, I can go get 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.120 their autograph. But but but during the game, man, I 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:43.559 want to try and take these guys down. It was 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:44.360 a really cool time. 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:46.640 So I'm just going to back up a little because 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.000 that was actually in your second year, But did you 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:51.840 feel any pressure as the overall number one pick? Like 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.760 I got to be the franchise, I got to be 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:58.319 the man. There's a lot of responsibility here on my shoulders. 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.720 Oh for sure, you know, for sure, And you know 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:03.280 and then you go, you know, as a small town 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.320 kid from Walla, Walla that went to school a couple 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:08.720 hours away in the wheat fields of Pullman, Washington, and 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:12.080 then all of a sudden thrust into the Boston sports scene, 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:15.760 which I very quickly learned was a different kind of deal. 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:18.560 You know, it's more of sports are more of a 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.640 religion than a pastime, you know, in in that in 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:25.160 that sports scene, Yeah, certainly I felt the way to 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:26.440 that weight of that and. 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:29.839 You know, and it was you know, it was a 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:30.920 it was a big thing. 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.040 And I had high expectations for myself, and I know 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:37.840 that the organization in the region had high expectations for me. 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:43.280 And yeah, it was a bit of a whirlwind. Thankfully, 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.000 we won the last four games my rookie year, so 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.760 we had we ended on a high note. But but yeah, 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:49.520 that was a big thing. 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:51.520 What was your first meeting with parcels? 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:55.080 Like, first meeting with Parcels was at the Combine And 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.160 I actually turned twenty one at the Scouting Combine. My 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:01.280 twenty first birthday, I spent at at Hooters with Alex 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:04.679 van Pelt in Indianapolis. 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:06.720 You didn't have the money yet for Sam, No. 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.800 No, we couldn't know. It was way wait but no. 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:14.400 First meeting was in a hotel room. And I've described 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:16.840 it before. It's like it's like you're meeting you know, 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:21.600 the you know, the you know, the head of the mafia, right, 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.559 you know, I mean the big New Jersey you know, dealing. 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:26.280 It was just one on one meeting in the hotel 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.760 room and we sat and visited for a while. I 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:33.120 don't remember the I don't remember the conversation. I just 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.000 remember being very intimidated. 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:37.160 And did that help break the ice a little bit? 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.040 You know, you get drafted and everything like that, do 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:41.040 you get a little memory flashback and go, Okay, I'm 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:44.199 going there and I'm going with him, So at least 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:47.440 I know kind of what I'm up against, although you 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:49.280 don't really know what you're up against. 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.800 You know, I I he didn't. He did not let 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:55.640 anybody know until the pick was announced whether he's gonna 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.280 go with me or with Rick, you know, so, I 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.320 mean I thought I was gonna go number on to 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:03.640 New England, but I didn't know until the pick was 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:05.600 announced whether I was going to go there or to Seattle. 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:08.319 And you know, back then, I wanted to go to 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.360 Seattle because it was home. Right in retrospect, you know, 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:12.200 I got really lucky. 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:15.240 Did you think you should have started right out of 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:16.080 the shoot? 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:16.920 Of course? 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.480 You know, of course, you know, I mean, you you 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:22.480 when you come in as the number one pick, you 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:23.800 know you want to be on the field. You know. 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:25.520 I didn't want to sit and watch somebody else play. 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:30.600 You know, I'm certain that there could have been some 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:32.240 benefits from sitting and watching for a little bit, and 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:33.520 I actually did get to sit and watch for a 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.400 couple of games when I got hurt midway through that season, 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:39.000 and it was beneficial to watch somebody else play and 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:40.600 let it slow, you know, kind of let it slow 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:42.280 down a little bit. So then when I came back 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:46.439 after I after the after my my knee injury, when 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.120 I came back, you know, the game had slowed down 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:49.760 a bit just because I got to sit and watch for. 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.000 The competitor of you. Yes, I want to play, I 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:55.000 need to play them the number one pick, but do 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.400 you see the vantages like maybe if there's somebody there, 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:01.600 but then you're probably say yourself, I'm better than this guy. 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:03.440 Why is he starting instead of me? Right? 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.200 Well, you know, I mean, I mean it's a it's 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.320 you know, it's it's a meritocracy, right, you know, you 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:09.600 go in there. If you're the best guy, then you 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.360 go play. And and you know, I did feel like 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:14.160 I was the best guy. 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:16.679 But at the same time, you. 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.760 Know, you certainly have seen other instances where guys have 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.319 been able to sit and watch for a minute, and 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:25.679 you know, and you know have more immediate success when 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:27.640 they do take the field because of that time. But 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:29.959 you know, I wanted to learn, you know, by being 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:30.760 thrown into the fire. 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:35.959 You mentioned the finale in ninety three touchdown, passed attempts 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:39.000 and to win it snow in the stadium. Did you 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:41.160 get a sense then, drew that you know, maybe we 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:43.800 might be onto something here when we're building something here, 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:45.800 which is why they drafted you after all in the 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:46.360 first place. 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:49.800 You know, I did, and that those those early teams, 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:52.720 we were really young, right, and there was a very 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:57.439 collegial kind of atmosphere around the team. We all hung 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.720 out together, you know, there were very few you know, 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:04.160 Bruce Armstrong, you know, was the you know, they had 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.080 the seniority, and obviously tipp It was there my rookie year, 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:09.760 and I've got a funny Tippot story for you when 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:13.280 he scared the crap out of me. But but for 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.520 the for the most part of they were really young teams, 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.520 and I think we, you know, we had a sense 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.680 that we could change things and and you know, and 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:25.840 we did. You know, we did change things, and so 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:27.480 they were really cool things to be a part of. 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:33.040 Tell me about tipp It so rookie year and Andre 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:36.959 was always very kind, but he also was Andre Tippett, 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:38.480 you know, one of the baddest dudes to ever walk 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:42.760 the planet. Right, you know, NFL linebacker now Pro Football 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.040 Hall of Famer, but he was also what seven degree 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.840 black belt. We were walking in to after practice the 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:52.640 one day, and this is back when fans really had access, 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.120 and so there were kids kind of hanging around the 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:59.319 the facility, and so we're walking up and I'm walking 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:02.679 walking and next to Tippet, and this little kid comes 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.640 up to ask me for an autograph, and Tip looks 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:08.400 down at the kids kid and goes, beat a kid, 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:10.400 get out of here. No autographs, right to this little 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:14.120 eleven year old, right, and uh, and I just like it. 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:16.040 I froze, and I just okay, Well, get mister Tip 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:19.280 an autograph. So I guess I'll just go downstairs. Well 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:22.240 Tip came down a few minutes later, and he'd gone 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:23.800 back to the kid and grabbed what he wanted to 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:25.280 sign and brought it down to have me sign. It 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:27.400 turns out he wasn't messing with the kid. He was 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.520 messing with me right like he was. He was trying 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:31.240 to get him my head, and he did scared the 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:33.640 crap out of me, but it was just it was 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.520 it was funny. And but Tip was always man. He 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:37.760 was always great to me. 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.080 Uh, we're gonna move forward here to ninety four and 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:46.080 the Minnesota game. What happened at halftime of the Minnesota game? 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:46.400 Was it? 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:51.240 What was what? That's where something happened, clearly because of 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:53.240 the way you guys came out and changed and adapted 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:54.000 for the second half. 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.400 Well, I changed my shoes before the last drive, and 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:00.640 I'm not superstitious, but but the I did wear those 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.840 shoes for the next six games. But really, what it 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:05.600 happened at the end of that end of the first half, 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:08.160 we went two minute offense, went down and scored right 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:11.560 before halftime, and Zolac still claims that it was him, 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:12.680 and I can't. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:13.720 Which I was gonna say. I was going to bring 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.680 him up because he believes he convinced somebody to let 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:17.280 you sling in. 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.840 And I think he at least did say something to Parcels. 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:22.280 But he's like, hey, why don't you just go too minute? 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.760 Let the kid go? And so we did. 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:26.800 We came out and we went two minute offense the 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:32.080 entire second half, and you know, people do forget sometimes, 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:33.920 you know, because we threw it seventy times and came 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:35.680 back and won it, but our defense also stepped up 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:37.840 shut him out in a second half and caused some 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:40.720 bumbles and so but that was, you know, that was 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.520 kind of when I think, you know, he he finally 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.560 just like, all right, we're gonna take the reins off 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:47.880 and liver or die by letting this kid throw it around. 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:50.360 Do you look back at that game fond we? 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:51.880 Oh? I do, of course I do. 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:55.200 Of course that game was and I remember, you know, 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.960 after I through that that the touchdown passed to win 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:03.440 the game, to to you know, God rest his soul. 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:10.160 I remember distinctly thinking, all right, I'm gonna soak this in, right, 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.880 because you know, had some big games in college and 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.640 it was all kind of a blur afterwards, and so 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:18.720 that one I very very vividly remember. After that, after 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:23.760 Kevin caught that touchdown pass, I'd stopped and I just 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:25.520 kind of looked around and I soaked it up and 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:29.120 took it all in. And then we won the next 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:30.440 six and made it into the playoffs. 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:32.960 So I do try to listen, and you mentioned Turner, 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:35.280 and I can only think of three. You could probably 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.080 give me a lot more, but g strew Kevin Turner, 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:43.680 Terry Glenn David Patten. I mean, I know, we all 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:48.520 nobody's guaranteed tomorrow, but at a sport where everybody's immortalized 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.320 and everything like that, and you think everybody's just gonna 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.280 live forever. That has to hit home in a way 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:55.880 that you know, just like me and you all the 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:58.400 sweat equity that you had with these guys. 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:00.280 You know, yeah, I mean you develop a can ship 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:01.280 in a brotherhood. You know. 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.639 I always push back when people compare it to military, 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.640 because you know, when you're playing football, you're probably gonna 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:09.360 you might get injured, but you're probably gonna walk away. 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:12.720 It's not like going to war. But you do develop 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.240 a brotherhood, you know, with with these guys when you 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:18.800 when you play with him. And I remember Kevin called 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:23.920 me after he got the diagnosis, the als diagnosis, and man, 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:25.480 I was one of the saddest phone calls I've ever 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.360 had in my life because he was he was talking 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:29.560 about he goes, yeah, my son, I can't play catch 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.480 with him anymore. And uh, you know, to have have 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.639 him struck down, you know, when he was heading into 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:38.119 you know, some really prime years of his life, you know. 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:42.919 And then Terry Glenn, you know, had finally after so 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:44.720 much turmoil in his life, he was finally in a 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.119 really good place in his life, and he was happy, 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:50.520 and he and I actually had a really really good relationship. 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:52.159 He didn't trust very many people, but I think he 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:55.280 trusted me, and he was and when he was when 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:58.119