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Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily's Top twenty five players of the

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Speaker 1: last twenty five years. Yes, this is episode five of

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Speaker 1: our six part series going through all the greats of

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Speaker 1: the twenty first century. And we've talked with some great guests,

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Speaker 1: but this time we're actually going to have one of

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Speaker 1: the greats of the last twenty five years on the

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Speaker 1: show to go through players number seven through four. And

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Speaker 1: I'm talking about Kevin Harlan. When we decided to do this, Kevin,

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Speaker 1: you were the first name we thought of in terms

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Speaker 1: of who has announced more of these games, who has

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Speaker 1: helped us enjoy the game more than Kevin Harlan. He's

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Speaker 1: been broadcasting the NFL for forty years. National Broadcaster of

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Speaker 1: the Year three times. I would have given it to more.

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Speaker 1: I feel like he was snubbed a few times. There

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Speaker 1: also NBA on TNT. Of course, he wrapped up that

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Speaker 1: great run there in the NBA playoffs.

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Speaker 2: Welcome Kevin, appreciate having you.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for your kind words. Greg, great to be on.

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Speaker 3: Flattered you to ask me. And it's it's NFL season

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Speaker 3: three sixty five a year. It never goes away, and

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Speaker 3: thank goodness, it doesn't.

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Speaker 2: No, it doesn't.

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Speaker 1: This is basically the dead time of the year, and

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Speaker 1: yet people we've heard like they want more this time year.

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Speaker 2: So we're giving it to him.

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Speaker 1: And we're doing something that I love to do, which

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Speaker 1: is talking about some of the greats of the game.

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Speaker 1: And as you might have heard, Kevin, we've already gone

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Speaker 1: through a lot of our lists, so you're getting some

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Speaker 1: of the cream of the crop.

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Speaker 2: Let's go to our next player on the list.

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Speaker 4: Number seven, Ed Freed.

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Speaker 3: He's got it first and ten. He gets the snappy

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Speaker 3: fakes the hand off, he drops back hest those a

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Speaker 3: long pass down the middle of tenn and second picked

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Speaker 3: off on me with the forty faults off is outstretched

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Speaker 3: on to keep his talent because he was spending. He's

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Speaker 3: down at the thirty seven.

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Speaker 5: You're the best free safety that's ever played this game

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Speaker 5: in Austin.

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Speaker 4: You're awesome.

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Speaker 3: Prop's gonna pass forward now.

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Speaker 4: Brock's back throws intercepted in the episode, intercepted by Baltimore's

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Speaker 4: at raid who's going.

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Speaker 2: Down the sideline.

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Speaker 4: He took go all away. He's at the ten. He's

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Speaker 4: at the.

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Speaker 5: Five, one hundred and eight yard interceptor.

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Speaker 4: Great turn by Raid.

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Speaker 6: Hey Baltimore, the best team.

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Speaker 2: The best team in the world is right.

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Speaker 1: Here, Oh Ed Reid, one of the best safeties of

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Speaker 1: all time, one of the best Hall of Fame busts

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Speaker 1: of all time. If you ever get a chance to

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Speaker 1: be in Canton and catch out that beautiful hair that

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Speaker 1: Ed Reid has there and yes he's got the cigar

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Speaker 1: in the biggest of moments, and Kevin, you're the first

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Speaker 1: guest we've had that's called one of those highlights. That

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Speaker 1: was the Super Bowl between the and the forty nine ers,

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Speaker 1: and Ed Reid in that game did what Ed Reid

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Speaker 1: does all time leader in interceptions in the playoffs. You

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Speaker 1: saw one of the crowning moments of his career.

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Speaker 3: He always came with his a game. I always thought

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Speaker 3: Greg he constantly made himself not only physically prepared, but

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Speaker 3: what I always admired is just his work away from

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Speaker 3: the field, his film work. He was constantly there was

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Speaker 3: a great feature. In fact, it may have been something

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Speaker 3: you guys referred to earlier on. I think Bill Belichick

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Speaker 3: was asked one of the greatest defensive plays he had

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Speaker 3: ever seen, and it was a play involving Peyton Manning

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Speaker 3: then quarterbacking the Colts, and Reid with Baltimore and how

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Speaker 3: Reid seduced Manning into looking one way with what Reid

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Speaker 3: thought was coverage, they could camouflage what he was doing.

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Speaker 3: Manning bit through Reid picked off the pass deep in

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Speaker 3: Baltimore territory went the other way. And what I believe

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Speaker 3: Belichick was talking about was his ability to play the

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Speaker 3: mind game as bell as maybe the best maestro we've

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Speaker 3: ever seen under center. I always thought, and people that

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Speaker 3: I work with always confirmed that Peyton Manning could manipulate

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Speaker 3: a game with cadence and the way he would maneuver

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Speaker 3: his players before the snap is pre snap reed was

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Speaker 3: always so great. Reid was the great counterpart on the

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Speaker 3: other side. He had that same Manning esque feel about

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Speaker 3: the way that he would camouflage coverage, seduce quarterbacks or

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Speaker 3: receivers into thinking one way when he would actually be thinking,

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Speaker 3: I'm going to meet him at the intersection. He was

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Speaker 3: so good at that, of course, being an eight time

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Speaker 3: All Pro player, a Super Bowl champion, a Defensive Player

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Speaker 3: of the Year, one of the top one hundred players

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Speaker 3: that we've ever seen play, and certainly one of the

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Speaker 3: best safeties ever to play. Decorated safeties in the history

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Speaker 3: of the game. His film work in his preparation, in

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Speaker 3: addition to his on field skills and his ball skills

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Speaker 3: were just I thought what made him different, made him

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Speaker 3: in a class by himself.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's I'm so glad you started there.

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Speaker 1: And I'll get to all of Ed Reid's accomplishments and

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Speaker 1: you mentioned some of them, but talking about the mental

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Speaker 1: side of it, that is a great clip by Belichick.

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Speaker 1: I think Bill Belichick has helped to get Ed Reid

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Speaker 1: onto this ranking at number seven for me because he

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Speaker 1: could explain in a way that few people would really

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Speaker 1: understand his genius. And that play that you talked about

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Speaker 1: was he was thinking what Manning was thinking, and he

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Speaker 1: knew what Manning would be thinking that Ed Reid was thinking,

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Speaker 1: and he was one step ahead. And that's to me

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Speaker 1: what stands out about Ed Reed. That the greatest of

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Speaker 1: the greats that he played against Aaron Rodgers, I mean,

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Speaker 1: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning always talked about Reid. Brady

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Speaker 1: actually had a little thing written on his wristband during

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Speaker 1: games against Baltimore. Find twenty on every play and okay, I.

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Speaker 3: Did not know that's that's a great note.

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Speaker 2: It's unbelievable.

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Speaker 1: And the thing is, and you pointed out really well

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Speaker 1: and talking about that Manning play, that if you took

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Speaker 1: his your eyes off him. I was a Patriots fan

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Speaker 1: at the time watching all this, he still got Brady

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Speaker 1: all the time. If you took your eyes off him

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Speaker 1: during a play, his eyes were on you as a quarterback,

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Speaker 1: and he would end up getting the winning edge.

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Speaker 3: And you know, he could he could translate what he

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Speaker 3: was thinking is you know, Greg into how he did

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Speaker 3: it physically on the field. First of all, back in Louisiana.

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Speaker 3: He was an incredible track and field a very fast,

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Speaker 3: very quick twitch which I don't think we really relate

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Speaker 3: to him. He was more he was built more like

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Speaker 3: a about five or eleven six foot over two hundred pounds

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Speaker 3: like he was a He was a strong canon he

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Speaker 3: was He was a guy that that that that could

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Speaker 3: clearly vault in and and and and definitely accelerate the

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Speaker 3: where he needed to be. But the fact that his

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Speaker 3: mind got his body there, I thought was such a

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Speaker 3: great partnership. A lot of guys can think it physically,

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Speaker 3: they can't do it physically. They can do it mentally,

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Speaker 3: they don't see it. He had the great combination of

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Speaker 3: both keen eyesight, great preparation. Every time we would talk

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Speaker 3: with you know, whoever was coaching John Harbaugh most recently

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Speaker 3: and Brian Billick before him in Baltimore, they would always

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Speaker 3: talk about his brain and his vision and all the

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Speaker 3: greats in any sport you just mentioned the NBA, they

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Speaker 3: always talk about court vision. His field vision was so superb.

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Speaker 3: His ability to read, his ability to jump ahead and

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Speaker 3: even gamble successfully more times than not, made him one

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Speaker 3: of the great safeties. If there was ever a quarterback

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Speaker 3: on defense, it is that position and Ed Reid really

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Speaker 3: epitomized it more than anyone.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely.

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Speaker 1: And you mentioned the All Pro so for five first teams,

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Speaker 1: three second teams, he is the first all time. And

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Speaker 1: you mentioned the athleticism in interception yards, and it's by

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Speaker 1: a mile. He is more than double the interception yards

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Speaker 1: in his career than whoever is in third place. During

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Speaker 1: his career, he had seventy three interceptions including the playoffs,

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Speaker 1: the all time leader in the playoffs. That's thirteen more

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Speaker 1: than any other player during his career.

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Speaker 2: And you say all this about how smart he was.

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Speaker 1: One thing that really stands out to me, and I'm

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Speaker 1: wondering what it was like talking to him and talking

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Speaker 1: to the coaches about him. Is that for all that preparation,

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Speaker 1: in the end, a lot of times it led him

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Speaker 1: not do what the coaches told him to do. A

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Speaker 1: lot of his genius was ultimately freelancing and sort of

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Speaker 1: coaching himself and doing whatever he wanted to do on

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Speaker 1: the field.

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Speaker 3: Kevin, you're right, Greg, And he always absorbed the game

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Speaker 3: play and was probably the first guy to request it

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Speaker 3: when it came out of the out of you know,

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Speaker 3: from headquarters on Tuesday night or Wednesday and that. And

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Speaker 3: he had some terrific defensive court Rex, Ryan Madison, I mean,

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Speaker 3: Chuck Pmcgonnell, like, he had some great coaches with Baltimore.

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Speaker 3: Every one of them said, you know, Reid gets us

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Speaker 3: set right. Reid always played guys in the right place,

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Speaker 3: truly an extension on the field, but his preparation led

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Speaker 3: I think there there's been a tradition in Baltimore with

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Speaker 3: with smart defensive players regardless of position. I would like

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Speaker 3: to think with him and ray Lewis established back in

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Speaker 3: the early two thousands and and continued on were things

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Speaker 3: and staples of that defense with great defensive masterminds that

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Speaker 3: guided these players and all the people that would join

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Speaker 3: in over the years every season to that defense. And

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Speaker 3: that's why they're so highly ranked. Their preparation, their practice habits,

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Speaker 3: the way they saw the game, the things they discussed

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Speaker 3: in meetings, the carryover from the back end of the front,

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Speaker 3: all of it just really was so cohesive. And so

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Speaker 3: you wonder why a team like Baltimore and a defense

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Speaker 3: like the Ravens is always like that. That's tradition and

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Speaker 3: that was set by Reid and ray Lewis. So I'm

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Speaker 3: sure you've talked about will because of the way they

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Speaker 3: saw the game, processed it, and then carried out what

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Speaker 3: they had to do and reacted so well even if

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Speaker 3: something would not materialize the way they may had planned

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Speaker 3: for or thought what happened. Their adjustments were some of

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Speaker 3: the best. I saw adjustments in that Super Bowl that

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Speaker 3: clip we just showed, But every time we would do

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Speaker 3: it a Baltimore game. I love the Brady number twenty.

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Speaker 3: Where is he find him? And he would decoy so

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Speaker 3: well where he would be. He would end up maybe

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Speaker 3: playing in a linebacker, dropping down into that level, but

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Speaker 3: then quickly go back or go back and then come

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Speaker 3: up like he just he just had a knack and

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Speaker 3: a feel for the game that was unparalleled.

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Speaker 2: It really was.

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Speaker 1: And yes you're coming in the episode right after we did.

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Speaker 1: Ray Lew's really hard time doing these ranks. I mean,

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Speaker 1: who can decide between This part of it was ray

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Speaker 1: Lewis started his career technically, you know, before two thousand

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Speaker 1: ohther the best part of it was in the last

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Speaker 1: twenty five years. And I think about what ball knowers

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Speaker 1: when you talk to people that are just inside the

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Speaker 1: game and what they say about Ed Reid. To me,

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Speaker 1: that just really stands out. And so for any Steelers

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Speaker 1: fans that are out there part of the rankings, Kevin,

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Speaker 1: with each player we're bringing up kind of like who

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Speaker 1: didn't make the list or who did we have him over?

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Speaker 1: I did have Ed Reid this high. I did not

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Speaker 1: have Troy Polamalo quite make the list. He was one

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Speaker 1: of the very few people that got cut off. There

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Speaker 1: were some reasons for that that the Hall of Fame,

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Speaker 1: you know, all two thousand's team, for instance, Ed Reid

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Speaker 1: was a first team. Palamlo actually wasn't on it. He

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Speaker 1: was behind guys like Brian Dawkins, John Lynch for what

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Speaker 1: it's worth. Paulamlow an outstanding, outstanding player, but you have

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Speaker 1: to make decisions on this. Are you mad at me

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Speaker 1: for not putting Paula Malo on this list?

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Speaker 3: Now? Because I respect you so much, I will I

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Speaker 3: will sometimes tend to trend in your direction as opposed

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Speaker 3: to what I might be thinking. But you've you know,

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Speaker 3: nailed just the krem de la creme at that position.

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Speaker 3: I don't know even as is people Greg, like you

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Speaker 3: and I and all the people that are associated with

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Speaker 3: the show and NFL Network and cover this league and

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Speaker 3: have covered it for a long time, can truly appreciate.

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Speaker 3: And I've always thought this, and these are conversations really

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Speaker 3: kind of coming from the Belichick days and other coaches

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Speaker 3: who have been so forthright with information about about the

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Speaker 3: key to preparing and the key to knowing your opponent

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Speaker 3: and not just dropping in and taking a look at

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Speaker 3: some film, but going in there and really talking it

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Speaker 3: out with guys at your position in the secondary in

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Speaker 3: this case, and I know that Troy Paulamalu did the

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Speaker 3: same tension Dawkins with his length and his reach and

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Speaker 3: his leaping ability like he did so much. Lynch was

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Speaker 3: a he was a rocket who came out of the secondary,

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Speaker 3: but again saw the game process. The game to me,

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Speaker 3: I think you've got Red perfectly placed.

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Speaker 1: Oh, thank you so much. And yeah, the very last

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Speaker 1: play and I found this out. Did not realize this researching.

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Speaker 1: Ed Reid the very last play of his Raven's career,

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Speaker 1: because he did play one more year with the Texans

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Speaker 1: and the Jets. The very last play of his Raven's career,

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Speaker 1: he was supposed to blitz the forty nine ers in

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Speaker 1: one of the most tense plays of all time. Need

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Speaker 1: to get a touchdown to take the lead to essentially

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Speaker 1: win the Super Bowl wasn't going to be much time left.

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Speaker 1: Ed Reid is supposed to blitz on that play. He

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Speaker 1: reads his keys, he goes off of his instincts, and

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Speaker 1: it would have made the coaches absolutely furious if he

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Speaker 1: was wrong. But he chooses not to blitz on that play.

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Speaker 1: He chooses to provide a little extra help on Michael

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Speaker 1: Crabtree and make a double team and it ends up

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Speaker 1: being an incomplete past Kevin and that ended his Raven's career,

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Speaker 1: but it gave them his Super Bowl championship.

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Speaker 3: It was and I'm so glad he was a champion.

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Speaker 3: We know he was individually decorated to go out and

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Speaker 3: play with Lewis and that team and that defense was

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Speaker 3: so terrific. We know we both have missed one key

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Speaker 3: thing about Ed Reid. He could block kicks about as

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Speaker 3: well as anybody in this league. He had a succession

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Speaker 3: of him. He scored on some and he took as

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Speaker 3: much pride in his team's work and his special teams

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Speaker 3: play and finding those nooks and crannies and gaps where

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Speaker 3: he could volt over and make a block, make a

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Speaker 3: play on special teams. He was exquisite doing that. And

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Speaker 3: you don't see that kind of effort and probably study

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Speaker 3: habits regarding special teams for a position player like Reed.

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Speaker 3: But by god, he made sure that he was even

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Speaker 3: more valuable, and not just on defense, but on teams

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Speaker 3: as well, and it showed he's I can't tell you

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Speaker 3: how many times I remember watching what he would do.

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Speaker 3: Paula Malo had that same knack too. Write that spectacular

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Speaker 3: diving over a group and making a play and maybe

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Speaker 3: the flare for Paula Malo. And of course he played

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Speaker 3: with a great contingent of Steeler defensive players. But I

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Speaker 3: always thought too Greg that the great players and Reid

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Speaker 3: is and Troy and Dawkins and Lynch, and we go

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Speaker 3: on and on. But they they would grasp the game

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Speaker 3: plan like. They didn't shoo it away, they didn't freelance.

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Speaker 3: They were constantly burying them their their interest and focus

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Speaker 3: in the way the coaches had prepared all week. And

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Speaker 3: the one thing I do remember, and I think it

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Speaker 3: was Pagano, but it may have been Rex Ryan. They

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Speaker 3: said they're always asking questions. And my guess is Reid

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Speaker 3: asked about as many questions as anybody and then was

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Speaker 3: answering questions from the younger players in that secondary defensive

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Speaker 3: room for Baltimore.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, and yeah, when he read those plays you mentioned

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Speaker 1: the blocks on the returns, he would tend to take

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Speaker 1: him to the house. Three times he led the league

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Speaker 1: in interceptions. Twice he had return over one hundred and

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Speaker 1: five yards. So those guys from the U, he would

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Speaker 1: always talk about it. They teach him not just to

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Speaker 1: pick it off, but to score. Okay, we've talked ed Reid,

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Speaker 1: we are going to number six on the list.

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Speaker 2: Another guy who scored plenty.

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Speaker 4: Number six, Aaron Rodgers.

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Speaker 6: Rogers rolls to the left up third down the long

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Speaker 6: and sets up rolling still flock wanding seven seconds to play.

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Speaker 2: He rows to the far side and it is a kid.

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Speaker 4: Oh my, they're in field goal rains. You got to

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Speaker 4: be kidding me, snapped to Rogers.

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Speaker 6: Scrambles to his left under pressure, rolling right, escapes right side,

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Speaker 6: looking rainbows high and deep.

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Speaker 4: Come into the end zone and it is God for

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Speaker 4: a touchdown.

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Speaker 6: A leaping touchdown catches made of the Packers at one.

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Speaker 4: Unbelievable. He's gonna roall away, throws it up in the air, says.

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Speaker 6: A prayer, and the Jenish is on a snuff at

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Speaker 6: all loose?

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Speaker 4: What a cat is in Shane?

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Speaker 6: Oh my, that may be one of the great pros

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Speaker 6: ever made. Moving to his left, falling away and launching

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Speaker 6: a perfect throw every week every year, does things and

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Speaker 6: other quarterbacks.

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Speaker 3: Just can't do.

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Speaker 6: Rogers is inside the bolon touchdown Packers.

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Speaker 4: It's Rogers running for the store right off you, Joe.

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Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers telling the Bears faithful, as if they didn't

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Speaker 1: know that he owns them. That was Aaron Rodgers making

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Speaker 1: plays that maybe no quarterback in the history of football

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Speaker 1: could make before him, and then adding a little extra

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Speaker 1: sauce and telling you about it right afterwards, Kevin, what

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Speaker 1: stands out to you first when when you think about

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Speaker 1: the games that you've covered of Aaron Rodgers so.

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Speaker 3: Many The Super Bowl against Pittsburgh down down in Texas

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Speaker 3: one of many examples of his greatness. He had a

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Speaker 3: big pass play in that game down the middle into

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Speaker 3: a seam and hit his open receiver. I'll probably bring

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Speaker 3: up things that maybe is a little bit deep, and

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Speaker 3: I'm going to get in the weak because Mike McCarthy

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Speaker 3: showed me a film one time of a still picture

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Speaker 3: that was taken frame by frame of Aaron Rodgers' ability

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Speaker 3: when he would wind up to throw, how his arm

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Speaker 3: in his hand were almost pointed into the ground backwards,

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Speaker 3: so it's almost as if you were double jointed the

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Speaker 3: way he throws. I'd never asked Aaron that I would

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Speaker 3: love to if I get the chance, And of course

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Speaker 3: now he's a stealer and there there may be that chance.

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Speaker 3: But Mike said, he goes, I've never seen this with

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Speaker 3: anybody that that has that kind of arm flexibility. He said. Mahomes,

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Speaker 3: I think may have it, but Mahomes may do it

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Speaker 3: in kind of a different way. Rogers had the classic throw.

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Speaker 3: And then as the years went by, I always thought

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Speaker 3: he developed that nice side arm Brett Barv delivery. He

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Speaker 3: became I thought a lot like Farv as time went on,

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Speaker 3: borrowed things that he had seen in practice, maybe talked

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Speaker 3: about with bretton is his ability to improvise and play

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Speaker 3: off off schedule plays. But his arm ability was so

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Speaker 3: special and we just saw it with that that wonderful

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Speaker 3: array of of plays we just saw and heard, But

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Speaker 3: that that stands out. The other thing that Mike would

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Speaker 3: always talk about when he coached Rogers in Green Bay

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Speaker 3: was his footwork. He said, I can sit there and

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Speaker 3: what and just be zeroed in on what he does

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Speaker 3: with his feet, how he can move, you know, eight

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Speaker 3: inches this way to buy extra time, a foot this way, backpedal,

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Speaker 3: move up. What he was so good and his footwork

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Speaker 3: I still think is impeccable, even at this age, even

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Speaker 3: coming off the torn achilles, which I do want to

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Speaker 3: get into that topic in just a second. But but

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Speaker 3: his footwork greg Uh was textbook and he worked on

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Speaker 3: it a lot. And before we got the new rules

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Speaker 3: with the Players Association in the league about off season

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Speaker 3: time in the building, they would have these quarterback schools

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Speaker 3: in Green Bay, and and and they would go. They

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Speaker 3: would they would basically tear the thing down to the

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Speaker 3: studs and they would work on the basics. How to

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Speaker 3: get the correct snap under center, where to place your feet,

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Speaker 3: and how far where your hands should be when you

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Speaker 3: got the shotgun snap, What where where your head should

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Speaker 3: turn on the very first moment that ball is about

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Speaker 3: ready to come into your hands. How your first step

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Speaker 3: should be a certain way, how you need to plant,

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Speaker 3: where the weight distribution, the torque to spin, all these things.

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Speaker 3: And that's where I think with Rogers, the arm talent

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Speaker 3: is just mesmerizing.

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Speaker 6: And his.

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Speaker 3: Game playing and all those things are just I mean,

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Speaker 3: he's a first ballant Canton Hall of Famer, but it's

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Speaker 3: all these little things that have made him what he is.

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Speaker 3: He'd probably say, you know, I had to come out

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Speaker 3: of junior college to get a major college scholarship. I

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Speaker 3: had to wait till late in the first round and

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Speaker 3: get overlooked by a lot of teams to get drafted.

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Speaker 3: I had to sit on the bench for three years

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Speaker 3: and back of a Hall of Fame quarterback understood. But nonetheless,

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Speaker 3: he didn't just go right in there and assume the

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Speaker 3: number one position. Everything he's done to become what he

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Speaker 3: is has been because of attention to detail. I think

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Speaker 3: he is a stickler for it. We know mentally he

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Speaker 3: is about as smart a quarterback, just just just by

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Speaker 3: brain power alone, that the position has ever seen. But

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Speaker 3: he has taken that to a whole new level with

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Speaker 3: the way he has gotten the rest of him to

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Speaker 3: match what he's got upstairs. His IQ is off the charts,

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Speaker 3: but I think his attention to detail, his footwork, the angles,

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Speaker 3: the way he reads, the way he would position like.

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Speaker 3: We could go on and on about Rogers. I think

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Speaker 3: he's he's truly one of the top ten quarterbacks of

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Speaker 3: all time, and that may not even be fair.

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Speaker 1: To him, right I'm already wondering if I don't have

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Speaker 1: him high enough on this list. Of course, a four

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Speaker 1: time MVP at his very best, and I tried to

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Speaker 1: rank these players somewhat about their sustained greatness when they

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Speaker 1: were at their best. At his very best, to me,

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Speaker 1: he was playing the position at a level and away

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Speaker 1: we just hadn't seen before, and I think he was

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Speaker 1: very influential. You look at a Patrick Mahomes and you

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Speaker 1: ask him like, who is your hero growing up, but

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Speaker 1: it was Aaron Rodgers because that was what the next

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Speaker 1: generation wanted to be like. And I'm so glad you

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Speaker 1: have the perspective of all that detail that he put

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Speaker 1: into it, because that is maybe somewhere where he is

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Speaker 1: different in terms of the footwork. All these players, great players,

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Speaker 1: are different, but I think in terms of the footwork

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Speaker 1: and all that, he's at a different level than let's

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Speaker 1: say a Josh Allen or a Patrick Mahomes. And for

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Speaker 1: all the grief that Mike McCarthy took maybe later in

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Speaker 1: his career by some Packers fans in terms of his

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Speaker 1: play calling everything, Man, that combination of McCarthy and the

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Speaker 1: quarterbacks coach Tom Clements was a perfect coach because Aaron

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Speaker 1: Rodgers really changed who he was as a thrower, as

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Speaker 1: a player from where he was coming out of college. Now, Kevin,

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Speaker 1: you mentioned a play in the Super Bowl. You called it.

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Speaker 1: We have that play ready, so let's actually listen to it.

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Speaker 3: Rodgers is in the shotgun of running back at his side.

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Speaker 3: He gets a high snappies in the shotgun.

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Speaker 4: He catches right on.

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Speaker 6: There's a line drive down the middle and leaping pack

439
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,919
Speaker 6: cuddling catch at the goal line, falling into the end

440
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,400
Speaker 6: zone down the middle. Jettings touchdown hot twenty one yard

441
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,919
Speaker 6: troll high back Aaron.

442
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:01,920
Speaker 3: Rodgers to Jennings.

443
00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,560
Speaker 6: They beat pull them Alu right down the middle, just

444
00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,080
Speaker 6: inside the goal line.

445
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:09,120
Speaker 3: Cream pays on top.

446
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 4: Twenty to three.

447
00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:13,800
Speaker 1: Great call, Kevin, And that play is so great by

448
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,960
Speaker 1: Rogers because it points out to me, sometimes the best

449
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,080
Speaker 1: throw there's no defense for it. That you got an

450
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:22,280
Speaker 1: underneath defender, you got another zone defender on the second

451
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,080
Speaker 1: level breaking in and Pallamlo is coming up, and it

452
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,160
Speaker 1: doesn't really matter because it's so perfectly placed with one

453
00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:30,760
Speaker 1: of the biggest arms in NFL history.

454
00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,440
Speaker 3: He had a great anticipation too, don't you think Greg

455
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:38,159
Speaker 3: like his prime his anticipator, His anticipatory skills were just

456
00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:42,719
Speaker 3: so far advanced, and getting everybody around him on that

457
00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,760
Speaker 3: same page was a constant shore for him. When he

458
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,600
Speaker 3: brought in young receivers, it took them a while to

459
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,639
Speaker 3: earn his trust that they would be where he wanted

460
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,400
Speaker 3: them to be inside outside the numbers, I mean, like whatever,

461
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 3: And clearly he trusted Jenning on that play, threading the

462
00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:05,480
Speaker 3: needle with three defenders converging. I mean, you can't those plays.

463
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 3: Those are Hall of Fame, legendary plays that you just

464
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,679
Speaker 3: embrace and think. Just think of the precision and then

465
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:15,119
Speaker 3: everything else that had to go into that right. The

466
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 3: blocking had to be right. The other receivers had to

467
00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,280
Speaker 3: take as many guys away from the middle of the

468
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,680
Speaker 3: field as they could. There had to be a tell

469
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:26,320
Speaker 3: tale as he was dropping back and looking at the

470
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,000
Speaker 3: route and maybe seeing a kay over here and palam

471
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,120
Speaker 3: allo over here and a guy getting trailed over. And

472
00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:37,200
Speaker 3: that's the thing about that position. But in particular with Rogers,

473
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:41,560
Speaker 3: his mind being so quick, he could pick up things

474
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,840
Speaker 3: to cipher, process and then act on it about as

475
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,199
Speaker 3: fast as any quarterback. There was no double hitch, and

476
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,240
Speaker 3: if there was, it was only to throw off the defense,

477
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,159
Speaker 3: even to buy his guy an extra five yards on

478
00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:54,639
Speaker 3: a route, stemm it or whatever whatever they were going

479
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 3: to do. I just think that it would be great

480
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:01,439
Speaker 3: to have him now. I mean, I'm gonna stop and

481
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:03,159
Speaker 3: put a period on that, and I'm gonna go. I

482
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,000
Speaker 3: did a two hour interview with the late Kobe Bryant

483
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:11,760
Speaker 3: talking about taking jump shots and positioning himself to be

484
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,960
Speaker 3: where he wanted to be on the floor and how

485
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:17,359
Speaker 3: even if he were an inch off, or if his

486
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:19,719
Speaker 3: foot wasn't aligned the way he wanted it, or if

487
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,879
Speaker 3: the elbow wasn't here and in his art and it

488
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,800
Speaker 3: wasn't flat here. I mean, like just all these things

489
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:29,280
Speaker 3: that went into a simple jump shot for Kobe Bryant,

490
00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,199
Speaker 3: the technique and the attention to detail. We come up

491
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,639
Speaker 3: with that phrase again, Rogers is as close to any

492
00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:39,639
Speaker 3: NFL player, even though he's in a completely different position

493
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,000
Speaker 3: in sport to I think, embrace those things. I would

494
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,160
Speaker 3: love someday someone and I think you're the perfect person

495
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,439
Speaker 3: to do it, to shit out with Rogers when his

496
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:52,600
Speaker 3: days are done and talk about just what we've talked about. Footwork,

497
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,040
Speaker 3: attention to detail, where he's placing his eyes, the double hitch,

498
00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,960
Speaker 3: the fakes, the maneuvering of guys pre snap, what he

499
00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:01,360
Speaker 3: saw as he was getting that ball and dropping back

500
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,200
Speaker 3: and trying to make a decision in two and a

501
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,120
Speaker 3: half seconds or less. You know, those are the things

502
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:08,879
Speaker 3: his vision and we talked about that with Edrie, but

503
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,480
Speaker 3: his vision was just unparallel. And then and then you've

504
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,640
Speaker 3: got the god given uncanny generational talent with his arm

505
00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:19,960
Speaker 3: and his ability to do what he does side arm

506
00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,080
Speaker 3: soft throw. It's like he's throwing darts. And and he's

507
00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,600
Speaker 3: even learned how to throw off his the wrong foot,

508
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,600
Speaker 3: which I've watched him do in practice and just amazed that,

509
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 3: Like it's he can do all the basics and of

510
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:35,760
Speaker 3: course throw it forward and all those things, but when

511
00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,080
Speaker 3: he's throwing off the wrong foot, back pedaling off of

512
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,280
Speaker 3: one foot, it's the wrong foot. And like, these are

513
00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:45,000
Speaker 3: things that are just uncanny and things that if you

514
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,400
Speaker 3: watch the game long enough, you really tend to appreciate

515
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,440
Speaker 3: and know you're seeing a one of one.

516
00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,679
Speaker 1: Absolutely, he had such a interesting career art because, as

517
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,280
Speaker 1: you mentioned, he waited for Far and I was so

518
00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,680
Speaker 1: impressed how he handled that too, and eight season when

519
00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:04,960
Speaker 1: he takes over, because as you know, that was an

520
00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:09,280
Speaker 1: absolute circus that summer when they were trying to get

521
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,040
Speaker 1: rid of Far, but they weren't sure and it was

522
00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:14,720
Speaker 1: all up in the air, and Rogers came in, and

523
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:16,399
Speaker 1: I know they didn't win that much that season, but

524
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:18,800
Speaker 1: he came in and he was immediately one of the

525
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,920
Speaker 1: best quarterbacks in the league, and just quieted that all down.

526
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,640
Speaker 1: He ends his career leading all time in interception percentage.

527
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,840
Speaker 1: So that's the fewest interceptions per throw, leading all time

528
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 1: in quarterback rating. Obviously that could change in his days

529
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:36,760
Speaker 1: coming up with the Steelers, but that's where he's at

530
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,520
Speaker 1: right now. Also leads in adjusted yards per attempt. He

531
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,360
Speaker 1: was on the All twenty ten Hall of Fame team.

532
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,000
Speaker 1: He was the second team for Pro Football Reference for

533
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,480
Speaker 1: the All twenty tens, behind Brady and you mentioned just

534
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,640
Speaker 1: the physical skills, And that's why I struggle even putting

535
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,920
Speaker 1: him this low because that throw that we showed to

536
00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,240
Speaker 1: start the first clip of him running to his left

537
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,360
Speaker 1: to Jared Cook. I was in the building for that

538
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,880
Speaker 1: one against the Cowboys, and I really don't think there's

539
00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:09,040
Speaker 1: another quarterback. Maybe Mahomes could make it where he's sprinting

540
00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:12,160
Speaker 1: to the left and he can throw a frozen rope

541
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:15,680
Speaker 1: on the line in the perfect place to win the game.

542
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,880
Speaker 1: Same thing with one of those Hail Mary's he was

543
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 1: running to the left. Kevin just an incredible physical talent.

544
00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,320
Speaker 1: And I know he had a lot of tough losses

545
00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,400
Speaker 1: in the playoffs, and there were a couple of them

546
00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 1: where I'm sure the offense would have liked to have

547
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 1: some plays back. The forty nine Ers game in the

548
00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,360
Speaker 1: Conference Championship stands out to me as one of them,

549
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 1: but a lot of those games, whether it was the

550
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: Falcons whereas defense just didn't show up the Buccaneers game,

551
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 1: like a lot was going on in a few of

552
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,720
Speaker 1: those games. You look at his playoff record and he

553
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,640
Speaker 1: has forty five touchdowns and thirteen interceptions and some of

554
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,440
Speaker 1: the greatest performances in the playoffs as well. So to

555
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 1: me that is not a knock to him, but certainly

556
00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:02,400
Speaker 1: experience his of heartbreak. I think no bigger than that

557
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,600
Speaker 1: lead that they had over the Seahawks in the NFC

558
00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,960
Speaker 1: Championship when they had a fourth quarter, twelve point lead

559
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,320
Speaker 1: with this five minutes to go. But again, it's a

560
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,520
Speaker 1: team sport, and to me that the greatest test is

561
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 1: what you do over the course of a regular season,

562
00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,240
Speaker 1: and he did that year after year after year in

563
00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 1: Green Bay for fifteen years.

564
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 3: He did. And we talk about Marino won Super Bowl

565
00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:28,720
Speaker 3: far two Super Bowls, one win, Rogers won Super Bowl

566
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:33,600
Speaker 3: one win. Sometimes the greats, for whatever reason can't rack

567
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,200
Speaker 3: him up, like the Bradshaws and the Brady's and Baiden

568
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:41,720
Speaker 3: Manning who made multiple appearances and won with two different teams.

569
00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,880
Speaker 3: It's so incredibly as we all know, difficult to do,

570
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,520
Speaker 3: but it should not take away when the story is

571
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:52,680
Speaker 3: written about Rogers just what he accomplished. And I began

572
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 3: talking about the injury. You know what he went through

573
00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,880
Speaker 3: as a thirty nine year old quarterback when he snapped

574
00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,479
Speaker 3: to Achilles and then came back as a forty year

575
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,120
Speaker 3: old quarterback, and his numbers, considering he was only one

576
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,200
Speaker 3: year removed from that at that age, with all those

577
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:11,880
Speaker 3: miles on his body, I thought it was remarkable. I

578
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,360
Speaker 3: personally think this year for Pittsburgh, I think he's gonna

579
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,240
Speaker 3: be terrific. I honestly got that. I think he's gonna

580
00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,280
Speaker 3: and I would say the same thing about Kirk Cousins

581
00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:22,880
Speaker 3: down in Atlanta too. I think when you went with that,

582
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,440
Speaker 3: Achilles for a quarterback is so tough. It's a two

583
00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:28,760
Speaker 3: year rehab and for someone that old, maybe even a

584
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,200
Speaker 3: little longer. I think the best of Rogers at this

585
00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:33,800
Speaker 3: stage of his career can still be seen, and the

586
00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,600
Speaker 3: Steelers might be just the team to pull it off.

587
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:38,960
Speaker 3: So I'm so curious to watch what he does now.

588
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,120
Speaker 3: In my mind, nothing will ever take the place of

589
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:44,560
Speaker 3: some of the things I saw him do. I've still

590
00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,360
Speaker 3: not even seen a quarterback do a lot of that.

591
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,720
Speaker 3: We saw some incredible hail Mary's thrown in there, the

592
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:53,440
Speaker 3: cook catch, the tied end making that grab was just

593
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,080
Speaker 3: bodies are They were doing things that should not have

594
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,760
Speaker 3: been able to be pulled off. And so I'm with

595
00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:03,920
Speaker 3: the man. I'm feeling like, holy smokes, that has to

596
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,520
Speaker 3: be I'm sure he's got a personal catalog of his

597
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,240
Speaker 3: top ten throws that he could rattle off. If you

598
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,320
Speaker 3: were joining us right now, that would have to be

599
00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:13,719
Speaker 3: one of them.

600
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:13,960
Speaker 1: Right.

601
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,719
Speaker 3: It wasn't for a score, but it was for a

602
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,800
Speaker 3: big play in a huge game, and of course they

603
00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,200
Speaker 3: went on from there. So I respect him in so

604
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,840
Speaker 3: many ways. I think a lot of times we're diverted,

605
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,520
Speaker 3: our minds and attention are diverted to the outside stuff

606
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:32,280
Speaker 3: with him as a football player, as a lade, everyone's

607
00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:36,000
Speaker 3: loved playing with him. He makes the room better, he

608
00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:40,600
Speaker 3: made the position. He advanced the position, Manning advanced the position,

609
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:46,400
Speaker 3: Rogers advanced. Mahomes is advancing the position Rogers is. In

610
00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,280
Speaker 3: that kind of conversation, I really believe it.

611
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm glad you say that, because I spent too

612
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:53,640
Speaker 1: much of our time on NFL Daily and then back

613
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,920
Speaker 1: on Around the NFL podcast talking about the off the

614
00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,719
Speaker 1: field stuff, and it's been annoying the last few years.

615
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,560
Speaker 1: But this show is about thinking about all those moments,

616
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:04,880
Speaker 1: and I think of like tough moments.

617
00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:06,200
Speaker 2: You're saying coming back from an injury.

618
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,280
Speaker 1: There was a calf injury he had against the Lions,

619
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 1: who was twenty fourteen, and he comes back in the

620
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,000
Speaker 1: middle of that game to go win the division. He

621
00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:16,840
Speaker 1: had a game where he had six touchdowns in a

622
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,920
Speaker 1: single half. He had an opener against the Bears Week

623
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,440
Speaker 1: one where he hurts his knee, he's knocked out of

624
00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,360
Speaker 1: the game, he's questionable, he comes out of halftime, they

625
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,960
Speaker 1: have a seventeen point fourth quarter comeback.

626
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:31,000
Speaker 2: He won a division.

627
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:35,040
Speaker 1: Kevin on a fourth and eight against the Bears with

628
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,280
Speaker 1: like forty five seconds left in the season and he

629
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:40,440
Speaker 1: needs a first down to win it. Forget the first down.

630
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:42,680
Speaker 1: He ends up throwing for a touchdown. So he had

631
00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:44,960
Speaker 1: so many great clutch moments. Last thing I'll ask you

632
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,640
Speaker 1: about with Rogers and then we'll take a break, just

633
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,600
Speaker 1: what was he like when you met him? You know what,

634
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 1: you get to talk to these players before the games,

635
00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:55,360
Speaker 1: or the day before the games as part of being

636
00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:56,640
Speaker 1: on the broadcast cruise.

637
00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:01,280
Speaker 3: What was he like, Well, I do have a lot

638
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:06,040
Speaker 3: of personal connection. My dad was with the Packers for

639
00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:10,279
Speaker 3: thirty seven years when Ted Thompson he ran and was

640
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:12,840
Speaker 3: a CEO and president. And when Ted Thompson, then the

641
00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:15,799
Speaker 3: general manager, pulled my dad aside and said, I need

642
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:19,120
Speaker 3: your permission to draft Aaron Rodgers, who's fallen at what

643
00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,560
Speaker 3: number twenty four? I said, I think we're getting the

644
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:25,840
Speaker 3: steel of the draft. My dad had to base it you,

645
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,160
Speaker 3: not that it was his idea, but the buck had

646
00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:31,120
Speaker 3: to stop someplace and they were going to spend a

647
00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:34,840
Speaker 3: first round pick and reach I guess in some people's

648
00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:37,360
Speaker 3: opinion on Aaron Rodgers, and it turned out to be

649
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,279
Speaker 3: one of the great draft choices in the history of

650
00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:43,279
Speaker 3: the NFL, and certainly for the Packers. Same situation was

651
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:46,760
Speaker 3: true at Brett Fare. My dad had hired Ron Wolfe

652
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,960
Speaker 3: to be the general manager in Green Bay, and he

653
00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,320
Speaker 3: brought him in just after Thanksgiving because he wanted Ron

654
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 3: to be around the team, go in the locker room,

655
00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,480
Speaker 3: travel with the team, watch practice, be in meetings, get

656
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,239
Speaker 3: a feel for what he was inheriting. So that when

657
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,120
Speaker 3: the off season came and if they made a change

658
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,319
Speaker 3: of coach, he could he could go appropriately knowing what

659
00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,200
Speaker 3: he had to work with and how far he had

660
00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:14,640
Speaker 3: to go. And the story my dad tells me is

661
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:16,239
Speaker 3: that they were going to the final game of the

662
00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:21,840
Speaker 3: season at old Atlanta County Fulton County Stadium, and my

663
00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,280
Speaker 3: dad and Ron Wolfe always sat together in the press

664
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,719
Speaker 3: box and wolf put down his briefcase and looked at

665
00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:28,160
Speaker 3: my dad. So, I'm going to look at their backup

666
00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:31,080
Speaker 3: quarterback and if he's as good as I remember him

667
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:33,799
Speaker 3: when I saw his pro day, I want to go

668
00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:37,200
Speaker 3: after him, my dad. So he gets out the flip

669
00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:41,799
Speaker 3: card and he's looking Brett far Brett farv, you know

670
00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:44,120
Speaker 3: who would by at that time in Atlanta under Jerry

671
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,839
Speaker 3: Glanville had really had kind of a kind of a

672
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,120
Speaker 3: weird presence and it was not it was not working out.

673
00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,600
Speaker 3: He goes down there, watches him throw, comes back up.

674
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:56,120
Speaker 3: They fly home that night to Green Bay and he said,

675
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,279
Speaker 3: that's our that's our quarterback of the future. So they

676
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,480
Speaker 3: went to the executive Committee, which is a seven man

677
00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,080
Speaker 3: committee a couple of days later, telling them what they

678
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,120
Speaker 3: were going to do, and the executive committee said, that's

679
00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,320
Speaker 3: the most ridiculous thing we've ever heard. Why we trade

680
00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:13,239
Speaker 3: our number one pick for a backup in Atlanta who

681
00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,520
Speaker 3: doesn't play and has got a lot of things going

682
00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,399
Speaker 3: on off the field. And my dad said, Ron, could

683
00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:20,799
Speaker 3: you leave the room? I second he did, He goes,

684
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,800
Speaker 3: we gave this guy full control of football. If we

685
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,160
Speaker 3: back out now, we will never hire another quality general

686
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:30,719
Speaker 3: manager in the history of this organization. We've got to

687
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:33,000
Speaker 3: let him make this move. So he comes back in.

688
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,560
Speaker 3: They okay, the trade, they make it with Atlanta, they

689
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,000
Speaker 3: get Brett Farb and the same basic scenario happened with Rogers.

690
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,800
Speaker 3: And it's interesting those are back to back Hall of

691
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,719
Speaker 3: Fame quarterbacks. So yeah, my dad and Rogers, my dad

692
00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:48,960
Speaker 3: and far have had very good relationships, and by virtue

693
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,120
Speaker 3: of that, whenever I came across their paths, they were

694
00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,399
Speaker 3: incredibly kind, wonderful men. I respect them both, and I've

695
00:36:56,440 --> 00:37:00,960
Speaker 3: really enjoyed Aaron, who has been just terrific for our

696
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:04,080
Speaker 3: family and for the few times they've been around me personally.

697
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:08,759
Speaker 1: That's an incredible story. I'm really glad I asked that.

698
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 1: And yes, there's no talking about Aaron Rodgers without talking

699
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,920
Speaker 1: a little bit about Brett Farv and if the listeners

700
00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,880
Speaker 1: are interested, yeah, I thought about Farv for this list,

701
00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:18,839
Speaker 1: and he was one of the quarterbacks that got cut

702
00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:21,160
Speaker 1: off because ultimately those three straight MVPs are not in

703
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,080
Speaker 1: the last twenty five years. But if you just started

704
00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:26,839
Speaker 1: his career in two thousand, he had a number of

705
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,600
Speaker 1: incredible seasons, including that Dynamite won with the Vikings, but

706
00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:32,480
Speaker 1: he just did not make the cut Rogers did.

707
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:35,600
Speaker 2: We're going to take a quick break two more.

708
00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,799
Speaker 1: We're into the top five here the NFL Daily Best

709
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:49,319
Speaker 1: twenty five players of the last twenty five years. Back

710
00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,760
Speaker 1: on NFL Daily Best twenty five Players of the last

711
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,120
Speaker 1: twenty five years.

712
00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:56,640
Speaker 2: Let's see our next.

713
00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,799
Speaker 4: Player, Number five, JJ.

714
00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:03,120
Speaker 5: Wat Fursten Tan Dalton throws and trying to throw that

715
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:03,680
Speaker 5: run at.

716
00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 2: A tennis technic.

717
00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:05,320
Speaker 4: J J.

718
00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:10,560
Speaker 6: Watt to the house touchdown, Houston, Texans from a rookie

719
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:11,480
Speaker 6: frog Wisconsin.

720
00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:14,120
Speaker 4: He's regarded as one of the best defensive players of

721
00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:17,320
Speaker 4: all time. That he sucked walked down by Watt.

722
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:18,640
Speaker 2: He's a Hailbraiser.

723
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:20,080
Speaker 4: You can't block him.

724
00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 3: Now, Jack starting third and fourth paston every third down.

725
00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:25,920
Speaker 4: Today, here comes hot Till don shot.

726
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:28,920
Speaker 5: I don't think there's Anyboddy that's ever been better at

727
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:29,399
Speaker 5: it than he.

728
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,080
Speaker 4: Is about of down what you do it all.

729
00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:33,560
Speaker 3: That's type of guy you're trying to chase.

730
00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:38,640
Speaker 2: JJ Watt number five on our list. Yeah, I could

731
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,480
Speaker 2: have put Rogers higher. What we just want to have

732
00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:43,040
Speaker 2: quarterbacks one through four. I didn't want to do that.

733
00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:47,320
Speaker 1: When I watched JJ Watt in that stretch from twenty

734
00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:52,080
Speaker 1: twelve through twenty and fourteen, I decided, this is the

735
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,959
Speaker 1: best player I have ever seen at what he does.

736
00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:58,839
Speaker 1: I have never seen a defensive player play at a

737
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:00,080
Speaker 1: higher level.

738
00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:01,560
Speaker 2: Than JJ Watt.

739
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,319
Speaker 1: In those seasons, he won three Defensive Players of the Year,

740
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,920
Speaker 1: the only other defensive players to do that Aaron Donald

741
00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:14,160
Speaker 1: and Lawrence Taylor, five first team All pros. Obviously had

742
00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,000
Speaker 1: some injuries in the middle of his career, but did

743
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 1: bounce back and had one more truly standout season in

744
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,359
Speaker 1: twenty eighteen. He authored what I thought was the best

745
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:25,879
Speaker 1: defensive season of all time in twenty fourteen, at least

746
00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 1: that I've ever seen. When they did not give him

747
00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:31,319
Speaker 1: the MVP in twenty fourteen, I said they should not

748
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 1: be eligible be eligible for MVPs Furthermore, because if he

749
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:37,719
Speaker 1: did not win for that season, no one was ever

750
00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,680
Speaker 1: gonna win. Aaron Rodgers in a great year won that year. Kevin,

751
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,600
Speaker 1: what are your first memories thinking about JJ Watt and

752
00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:46,560
Speaker 1: covering his career?

753
00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:51,120
Speaker 3: Well, Jeff, he was runner up for the MVP. I'd

754
00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:55,640
Speaker 3: forgotten that in addition to all of his defensive Player

755
00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:58,919
Speaker 3: of the Year awards and All Pro and Pro Bowl

756
00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:03,680
Speaker 3: selections and complete dominations. I think he had, right greg

757
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,480
Speaker 3: a couple of twenty sacks seasons which had never been

758
00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:11,080
Speaker 3: done before. Over twenty sacks for a couple of years,

759
00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:14,319
Speaker 3: and he he was so dominant that when you talk

760
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:19,880
Speaker 3: to opposing offensive coordinators they would say, it always it

761
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:24,040
Speaker 3: always begins with JJ Watt, and how are we going

762
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:29,239
Speaker 3: to stop jj Watt? Everything tilted protection wise of that

763
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,239
Speaker 3: offense to knowing where he was lined up and who

764
00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:35,439
Speaker 3: is going to be on him and where that help

765
00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:37,879
Speaker 3: was going to be for you would never ever put

766
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:42,160
Speaker 3: him one on one with one of your tackles. You'd

767
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,200
Speaker 3: always have to have a chipper running back or a

768
00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:48,000
Speaker 3: tight end or someone to come over there and duble them.

769
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,960
Speaker 3: Because he was just such a wrecking ball, and because

770
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:56,440
Speaker 3: of that, he affected offenses in a way that they

771
00:40:56,440 --> 00:41:00,360
Speaker 3: could not operate maybe with their full portfolio plays, just

772
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 3: because they knew the time wasn't going to be there

773
00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:04,440
Speaker 3: to throw. You had to maybe speed up your delivery,

774
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:06,920
Speaker 3: you had to do more running or the other direction.

775
00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:09,479
Speaker 3: You couldn't go to your favorite side of the line,

776
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:11,200
Speaker 3: you had to go to the opposite side because Watt

777
00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:14,520
Speaker 3: was there. His ball skills were terrific, and that probably

778
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:19,759
Speaker 3: goes back to when he was playing receiver tight end

779
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,680
Speaker 3: in high school and then, if I'm not mistaken, his

780
00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:26,600
Speaker 3: first year at Central Michigan, he was a tight end,

781
00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:29,960
Speaker 3: but then they switched him when he walked on at

782
00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:35,160
Speaker 3: Wisconsin to defensive linemen, and that was his God given

783
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,200
Speaker 3: place to be, right, That's where he was destined to

784
00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:42,719
Speaker 3: go and become the player that he became. But there

785
00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:45,000
Speaker 3: are a few players. Taylor was one of them, and

786
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,640
Speaker 3: you mentioned him and Aaron Donald, who I got to

787
00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:52,719
Speaker 3: believe is somewhere coming up spoiler. But JJ Watt. The

788
00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:55,759
Speaker 3: difference between what he could do to a game and

789
00:41:55,800 --> 00:42:01,440
Speaker 3: what Lawrence Taylor or Aaron Donald, the difference with those

790
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:05,600
Speaker 3: three probably minuscule in how they would affect the game.

791
00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:09,759
Speaker 3: I mean, he he did. His first five years six

792
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,920
Speaker 3: years in the league were just like wow. And then

793
00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,160
Speaker 3: his body failed him a little bit. Came back finished

794
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:19,520
Speaker 3: with Arizona, but had a variety of injuries, and I

795
00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:23,080
Speaker 3: know that he played through some significant injuries. He would

796
00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,400
Speaker 3: gut it out and the team respected him for it.

797
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:25,560
Speaker 4: All.

798
00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,360
Speaker 3: All the guys we talked to with the Texans before

799
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,879
Speaker 3: doing one of our games where CBS would always talk

800
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:34,080
Speaker 3: about what an inspiration he was, not just and and

801
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 3: getting his body ready to play on Sunday, which in itself,

802
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:40,960
Speaker 3: for all these players is a week long process of

803
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:44,440
Speaker 3: treatment and rest and all the things that they go

804
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:48,280
Speaker 3: to just to get themselves on the field once a week.

805
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,880
Speaker 3: But his film study and his practice habits and and

806
00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:54,920
Speaker 3: the way he led on that team, he he checked

807
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:58,880
Speaker 3: every box. There was no doubt one of the greatest

808
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:02,120
Speaker 3: linemen I've ever se and could wreck a game on

809
00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:05,520
Speaker 3: any given play, and usually it was every series. His

810
00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:09,399
Speaker 3: fingerprints were on that series being a three and out

811
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,560
Speaker 3: or a turnover. Every time. It was like you just

812
00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:16,719
Speaker 3: watched him. You'd almost watch him more than the quarterback.

813
00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,680
Speaker 3: And that's handsome because we're taught. When we're broadcasting these games,

814
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:24,640
Speaker 3: you watch the ball, you watch the quarterback. Your eyes

815
00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:28,799
Speaker 3: would always drift to see him coming and would almost like, all, right,

816
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,120
Speaker 3: here comes what. There goes the drop back, as opposed

817
00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:33,600
Speaker 3: to there he goes dropping back to throw. No, you

818
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,960
Speaker 3: would almost mention what before you'd even talk about what

819
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:41,640
Speaker 3: an offensive you know, mechanism going on was? It was,

820
00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,120
Speaker 3: and it was. It was just it was so weird

821
00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:47,759
Speaker 3: to switch your brain around to think that way as

822
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,600
Speaker 3: opposed to offense first. But with him, you always thought

823
00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:53,560
Speaker 3: defense first because he was always affecting a play.

824
00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:55,840
Speaker 2: That's it right there. I'm so glad you said that.

825
00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:59,640
Speaker 1: So we started the Around the NFL podcast A long

826
00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:02,960
Speaker 1: time go and me and Chris Westling this this studio

827
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:07,000
Speaker 1: is named for my late great friend. We would say

828
00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:10,040
Speaker 1: that exact thing about JJ Watt and I had never

829
00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:14,279
Speaker 1: you know, I'm I'm learning this game, but I don't

830
00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:16,160
Speaker 1: know as much about it as the coaches and the

831
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:19,080
Speaker 1: players and how to watch it and everything. And what

832
00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:23,719
Speaker 1: was transformative for me to understand how much fun it

833
00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:26,319
Speaker 1: could be to watch a defensive player. He was the

834
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:30,640
Speaker 1: guy every single snap that I would keep my eyes on.

835
00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,560
Speaker 1: And it was crazy because you never understood how he

836
00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:35,640
Speaker 1: got to the eleventh pick of the draft. This is

837
00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:38,200
Speaker 1: a six five, two hundred and ninety five pound guy

838
00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:41,400
Speaker 1: who is so much quicker off the ball than anyone

839
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:43,399
Speaker 1: on the inside or the out. One he was one

840
00:44:43,440 --> 00:44:45,760
Speaker 1: on one on a guard, it was like it was Curtains.

841
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:47,960
Speaker 1: That was really just his rookie season and then it

842
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:49,879
Speaker 1: was over the next year. He was already the best

843
00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:52,520
Speaker 1: player in the league. But when he was outside, he

844
00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 1: was stronger than those guys. He was faster than those guys.

845
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:57,600
Speaker 1: He was so versatile. He was box office. And you

846
00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:03,920
Speaker 1: mentioned the hand skills Kevin. All those passes defensed of

847
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:06,399
Speaker 1: his career, you know, from jumping up and blocking the ball,

848
00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,520
Speaker 1: seventy passes defense and what makes me think of how

849
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:13,239
Speaker 1: he transformed that franchise. The very first playoff game in

850
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:17,600
Speaker 1: the history of the Houston Texans franchise a rookie. JJ

851
00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:19,680
Speaker 1: Watt who only had five and a half sacks that year.

852
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:21,880
Speaker 1: Was a very good rookie, but was not defensive rookie

853
00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:23,280
Speaker 1: of the year. He was kind of a slow starter.

854
00:45:23,640 --> 00:45:26,160
Speaker 1: He jumped up. He had a pick six in that

855
00:45:26,239 --> 00:45:28,960
Speaker 1: game along with the sack, and that was kind of

856
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,719
Speaker 1: his coming out moment. The following week in the divisional round,

857
00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:33,560
Speaker 1: he had two and a half sacks. He actually had

858
00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:36,440
Speaker 1: a career high in tackles in that game as a rookie.

859
00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:39,440
Speaker 1: And from then on you realize this guy is playing

860
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:42,080
Speaker 1: the game in just a way that I personally have

861
00:45:42,239 --> 00:45:44,480
Speaker 1: never seen before and haven't seen since.

862
00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:47,640
Speaker 3: No, I think you've captured it right there. That story

863
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:52,160
Speaker 3: alone tells you exactly where he belongs and his effect

864
00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:55,040
Speaker 3: on this game, where he stands with the greats that

865
00:45:55,080 --> 00:46:00,600
Speaker 3: have ever played that position. You also noticed around the

866
00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:02,960
Speaker 3: Texans if you had them on a Sunday, as we

867
00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:08,720
Speaker 3: often did, that his getting ready, his preparation, his dealing

868
00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:11,680
Speaker 3: with the media, is dealing with the fans like he

869
00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:16,000
Speaker 3: got it right. He understood the game. He understood how

870
00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:18,040
Speaker 3: to prepare the game and how to ready himself for

871
00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:20,640
Speaker 3: the game. He understood how to be a winner, how

872
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:22,480
Speaker 3: to affect the game, and what he would have to

873
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:24,560
Speaker 3: do on any given day. And I'm sure there were

874
00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:27,680
Speaker 3: challenges that he just savored and felt like like this

875
00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:31,120
Speaker 3: is I want to go against the best. I need

876
00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:34,160
Speaker 3: to be challenged. He never thought it was easy, clearly,

877
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:37,279
Speaker 3: but I know there were times where he said I

878
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:39,160
Speaker 3: could have a pretty big day. But there were other

879
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,000
Speaker 3: times you probably said, I got my work cutout for me,

880
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,440
Speaker 3: and thank goodness, I do. These are the kinds of

881
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:45,759
Speaker 3: things to keep me sharp. But if you watched him

882
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:48,680
Speaker 3: before a game hour and a half or so, he'd

883
00:46:48,719 --> 00:46:51,080
Speaker 3: be out there and cut off t shirt, walking around,

884
00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:56,160
Speaker 3: have a football, going through the mental side of his preparation.

885
00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:58,799
Speaker 3: And my guess is, and I'm thinking that if I

886
00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:01,800
Speaker 3: looked in my notes, I could probably find the quote

887
00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:04,680
Speaker 3: he would say. He would play out the game in

888
00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:07,720
Speaker 3: his head. What a first and ten, What a second

889
00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:10,600
Speaker 3: and five? What a third and long third and short?

890
00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,000
Speaker 3: What part of the field the offense was in What

891
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:15,520
Speaker 3: he would need to do to help the other part

892
00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:18,239
Speaker 3: of the defense succeed in stopping that play. Like, I

893
00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:20,920
Speaker 3: think he thought the game through about as well as

894
00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:24,719
Speaker 3: anybody at that position. Now listen, it's a lot of

895
00:47:24,719 --> 00:47:28,720
Speaker 3: God given skill and strength and technique and arm movement,

896
00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:31,160
Speaker 3: and then you talk about the ball skills. If he

897
00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:33,440
Speaker 3: deflect or it was in coverage and brought back whatever

898
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,920
Speaker 3: it would be. He was every place, and that's what

899
00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:39,520
Speaker 3: made him so difficult. It was like it was like

900
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:41,480
Speaker 3: having a great and he could have played linebacker. There's

901
00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:43,560
Speaker 3: no doubt in my mind he was picking up with

902
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:46,080
Speaker 3: the ball skills that he could have played a stand

903
00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:50,560
Speaker 3: up linebacker, but they put him at a position where

904
00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:52,479
Speaker 3: he was destined to go. And you mentioned the five

905
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,000
Speaker 3: sacks or whatever it was his rookiear and he was

906
00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:58,480
Speaker 3: a slow starter in college to change positions build up

907
00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,760
Speaker 3: his resume at the university Wasisconsin, became the best lineman

908
00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:03,839
Speaker 3: out of that conference. And then we see what he's

909
00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:08,799
Speaker 3: done in the NFL. It's a U Guys like him,

910
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:13,520
Speaker 3: Guys like Reid, others, You've you've covered Greg in this

911
00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:16,200
Speaker 3: in this uh you know, litany of wonderful names, and

912
00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:20,400
Speaker 3: in recent NFL history. These guys are wired differently, you know,

913
00:48:20,440 --> 00:48:22,919
Speaker 3: they're they're just they see the game, they think the game,

914
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:25,279
Speaker 3: they prepare for the game, they play the game just

915
00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:28,640
Speaker 3: so differently than just your average player. And listen, it

916
00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:31,120
Speaker 3: takes everything to get to that level. To be an

917
00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:33,959
Speaker 3: NFL player has got to be about his heart because

918
00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:37,600
Speaker 3: a competition and the numbers and like, it's so intense.

919
00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:42,560
Speaker 3: And but guys like him, they were just wired differently,

920
00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:45,560
Speaker 3: and and it shows with their performance and and what

921
00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,279
Speaker 3: they put on film and and certainly what they put

922
00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:50,239
Speaker 3: on on that bust going into camp.

923
00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:54,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, he he was a player where that the numbers

924
00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,160
Speaker 1: are are just outrageous. I mentioned the slow is start

925
00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,680
Speaker 1: as a rookie. Well, his second year, he's the defensive

926
00:49:00,239 --> 00:49:02,439
Speaker 1: player of the year. He has twenty and a half sacks,

927
00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:04,960
Speaker 1: leads the league, has thirty nine tackles for loss, which

928
00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:08,799
Speaker 1: has not been topped since for those years, and even

929
00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:11,560
Speaker 1: if you just use his whole career, he led the

930
00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:15,120
Speaker 1: entire league in sacks, in tackles for loss. And it's

931
00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:19,080
Speaker 1: not by a little by it's by a lot. And yeah,

932
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:22,319
Speaker 1: his body betrayed him after those first five years. But

933
00:49:22,360 --> 00:49:26,160
Speaker 1: this exercise, to me was about who were the true

934
00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:28,319
Speaker 1: greats when they were at their best?

935
00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:29,160
Speaker 2: And what five?

936
00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:32,440
Speaker 1: You know, five or six completely sensational years aren't enough

937
00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:32,600
Speaker 1: for you.

938
00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:34,080
Speaker 2: It's enough for me to put him here.

939
00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:36,480
Speaker 1: So before we say goodbye to JJ Watt, I wanted

940
00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:38,480
Speaker 1: to mention Wade Phillips. After his first year, he knew,

941
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:40,680
Speaker 1: like he already said, this guy is going to have

942
00:49:40,719 --> 00:49:43,000
Speaker 1: a bust in Canton someday. That was on a guy

943
00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:45,080
Speaker 1: that had only five and a half sacks his rookie year.

944
00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,200
Speaker 1: And Wade Phillips is a seer. He played in a

945
00:49:47,239 --> 00:49:49,879
Speaker 1: three four defense. We're actually gonna listen to one more

946
00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:51,920
Speaker 1: call of JJ Watt from you, Kevin.

947
00:49:52,520 --> 00:49:55,279
Speaker 3: First and ten, there comes that.

948
00:49:56,920 --> 00:49:57,680
Speaker 4: J. J.

949
00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:01,640
Speaker 3: Watt who cares if you lose your hat recorder sack

950
00:50:01,719 --> 00:50:05,239
Speaker 3: that's number fifteen all time record for the Houston Texans.

951
00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:06,759
Speaker 4: He's something else.

952
00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:08,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was during that twenty and a half season.

953
00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:11,799
Speaker 1: So he tacked on five more sacks that I liked.

954
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:13,560
Speaker 1: His helmet often came off. He had that play where

955
00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:15,840
Speaker 1: he was he was bludody. He always had a little

956
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:19,160
Speaker 1: flair for the dramatic. Let's move on to our next

957
00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:20,080
Speaker 1: player on the.

958
00:50:20,040 --> 00:50:24,760
Speaker 4: List, number four. Aaron Donald.

959
00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:28,799
Speaker 3: Rams creepy. They rushed four, rolled it flor forward.

960
00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:32,840
Speaker 5: He's he's hit, he sacked, he frows it away, he

961
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:34,399
Speaker 5: flings it away on fourth down.

962
00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:37,200
Speaker 4: Aaron Donald got there and you.

963
00:50:37,080 --> 00:50:40,919
Speaker 6: Can build that man statue out so far stadium right now.

964
00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:44,320
Speaker 5: I mean, Aaron Donald's as good as there is probably

965
00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,080
Speaker 5: ever played in the National Football League at d line.

966
00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:54,200
Speaker 5: He's an incredible player, explosive, quick, powerful. It's amazing the

967
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,520
Speaker 5: production he has even when people are a double team

968
00:50:56,520 --> 00:50:59,120
Speaker 5: in him and triple team in him.

969
00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:03,680
Speaker 4: And guess whom ninety nine again Oil Champions up the

970
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:07,279
Speaker 4: last game standing, were the best in the world. That's

971
00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:07,920
Speaker 4: what it's about.

972
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:08,120
Speaker 1: Man.

973
00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:10,799
Speaker 4: Look at this trophy right here. Look at it. This

974
00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:14,040
Speaker 4: is for you guys. Listen for the city ahadline. We

975
00:51:14,160 --> 00:51:15,480
Speaker 4: did it at home.

976
00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:20,120
Speaker 1: That's Aaron Donald after winning the Super Bowl. I was

977
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:23,080
Speaker 1: somewhere there that day with my daughter Ellis, who's a

978
00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:25,880
Speaker 1: huge RAMS fan, watching that and watching them have a

979
00:51:25,880 --> 00:51:29,840
Speaker 1: great time on stage. I struggled, I admit Kevin, deciding

980
00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:33,280
Speaker 1: who would be the top defensive player on this list.

981
00:51:33,320 --> 00:51:37,200
Speaker 1: Initially I had JJ Watt there because I thought his

982
00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:40,600
Speaker 1: absolute peak. I just I didn't think defense could be

983
00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:42,520
Speaker 1: played at a higher level. But then I talked to

984
00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:46,320
Speaker 1: more and more people, and I thought it is hard

985
00:51:46,360 --> 00:51:51,520
Speaker 1: to argue with Aaron Donald's career eight first Team All pros,

986
00:51:52,239 --> 00:51:54,040
Speaker 1: no One at defensive tackle. By the way, you know,

987
00:51:54,120 --> 00:51:56,440
Speaker 1: during his career, I had more than three three defensive

988
00:51:56,440 --> 00:52:00,399
Speaker 1: Players of the year, was in the top five four

989
00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:03,600
Speaker 1: more times for defensive players of the year. And if

990
00:52:03,600 --> 00:52:07,480
Speaker 1: we're picking between two players at their very heights, you

991
00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:11,439
Speaker 1: could argue what argue Donald? You could do it either way,

992
00:52:11,480 --> 00:52:14,040
Speaker 1: and I didn't want to just be about longevity, and

993
00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:18,120
Speaker 1: yet he did it every single year of his career,

994
00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:21,640
Speaker 1: so that consistency of just complete excellence put him over

995
00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:24,840
Speaker 1: the top. He is the top defensive player. Did I

996
00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:25,319
Speaker 1: get it right?

997
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:25,720
Speaker 2: Kevin?

998
00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:29,440
Speaker 3: I love Donald and I would adding shoulder and his

999
00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:33,280
Speaker 3: shoulder with you in that selection. I you know, Watt

1000
00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:37,120
Speaker 3: certainly played a position, but with a little bit more space,

1001
00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:41,239
Speaker 3: a little bit more maneuverability. I think what Donald did,

1002
00:52:41,520 --> 00:52:44,400
Speaker 3: by the way, in college at pitt I think he

1003
00:52:44,440 --> 00:52:47,000
Speaker 3: won the Lombardi ben Agerski, the outlet like he won

1004
00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:51,520
Speaker 3: like every major award for alignment, and then carry that

1005
00:52:51,600 --> 00:52:54,279
Speaker 3: success to the NFL. Could still be playing right now.

1006
00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:58,799
Speaker 3: He's only been gone a year, but he could have played.

1007
00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:01,000
Speaker 3: He got out while he was on up and he

1008
00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:03,880
Speaker 3: wanted he want a championship, which is great, the crowning

1009
00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:07,600
Speaker 3: glory to maybe the best interior alignment we've ever seen.

1010
00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:11,160
Speaker 3: But that's kind of my point, the interior line. Think

1011
00:53:11,239 --> 00:53:15,000
Speaker 3: of how congested it is in there, how hard it

1012
00:53:15,040 --> 00:53:18,239
Speaker 3: is to maneuver, and and really, I think right now

1013
00:53:18,280 --> 00:53:25,880
Speaker 3: the Badges will never appreciate an interior lineman because he

1014
00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:30,600
Speaker 3: gets kind of swallowed up with guards and centers and

1015
00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:34,240
Speaker 3: just the the the traffic in the middle of the field.

1016
00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:38,040
Speaker 3: You never really see them except for Donald. He's the

1017
00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:41,480
Speaker 3: one guy that would always break three cause he would

1018
00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:44,479
Speaker 3: he would cause havoc. He could take a double team,

1019
00:53:44,760 --> 00:53:47,000
Speaker 3: he could take on a triple team, and he would

1020
00:53:47,080 --> 00:53:50,160
Speaker 3: always find a way to blow up the play. And

1021
00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:53,520
Speaker 3: we know that quarterbacks love to move up in the pocket.

1022
00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:56,680
Speaker 3: Donald took that away. He would press that pocket so

1023
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:00,320
Speaker 3: hard those you know, couple of yards yard and a

1024
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:03,160
Speaker 3: half whatever, a quarterback would need to move up and

1025
00:54:04,040 --> 00:54:06,920
Speaker 3: not get pinched on the side by the JJ Watts

1026
00:54:06,960 --> 00:54:10,000
Speaker 3: of the world. That's where you found right your refuge.

1027
00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:12,920
Speaker 3: You'd move up a little bit, and then not with Donald,

1028
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:16,839
Speaker 3: he made that whole thing just you could not go

1029
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:20,279
Speaker 3: there and and to operate and put up the kind

1030
00:54:20,280 --> 00:54:22,799
Speaker 3: of numbers he did and affect the game as he

1031
00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:26,360
Speaker 3: did at that position, and to have him as your

1032
00:54:26,440 --> 00:54:30,279
Speaker 3: number one rated defensive player, I mean, that's just unheard of.

1033
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:32,680
Speaker 3: I mean that is that is I get the linebacker,

1034
00:54:32,719 --> 00:54:34,719
Speaker 3: I get the safety, I get the defensive end, I

1035
00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:37,600
Speaker 3: get all those positions. You're talking about a guy in

1036
00:54:37,640 --> 00:54:42,000
Speaker 3: the middle who's disrupting, getting doubled every single play. Maybe

1037
00:54:42,040 --> 00:54:45,200
Speaker 3: the only maybe the only guy except for an elite receiver,

1038
00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:47,880
Speaker 3: that's going to draw coverage in the secondary by multiple guys,

1039
00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:50,800
Speaker 3: maybe the only guy on the defense that is constantly

1040
00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:53,680
Speaker 3: facing at least two guys that are going to try

1041
00:54:53,680 --> 00:54:56,640
Speaker 3: to block him and stop him every single snap.

1042
00:54:57,080 --> 00:54:59,080
Speaker 1: So we have stats to back that up at the

1043
00:54:59,120 --> 00:55:01,680
Speaker 1: next Gen Stats, and they can keep track of this.

1044
00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:05,600
Speaker 1: He was indeed double teamed at a higher percentage, more

1045
00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:09,640
Speaker 1: than any player in the NFL. And despite that, in

1046
00:55:09,680 --> 00:55:13,560
Speaker 1: his ten seasons he had more sacks than anyone by

1047
00:55:13,600 --> 00:55:16,680
Speaker 1: ten sacks. And so that's including all the great edge rushers,

1048
00:55:16,680 --> 00:55:18,960
Speaker 1: he still had more sacks than them by ten despite

1049
00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:21,240
Speaker 1: playing on the inside. But then the numbers get crazy.

1050
00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:24,480
Speaker 1: He has more quarterback hits than anyone in the NFL

1051
00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:27,759
Speaker 1: despite all those double teams by fifty one. He has

1052
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:31,520
Speaker 1: more quarterback pressures than anyone in those ten years by

1053
00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:34,560
Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty four, and the most tackles for

1054
00:55:34,680 --> 00:55:38,360
Speaker 1: loss by anyone in those ten years by forty. So

1055
00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:41,279
Speaker 1: I started thinking about it, Kevin, and this is a

1056
00:55:41,320 --> 00:55:44,520
Speaker 1: guy who people would always say, well, the stats, you know,

1057
00:55:44,560 --> 00:55:46,919
Speaker 1: he's even better than the stats show.

1058
00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:48,400
Speaker 2: Well, the stats say he's.

1059
00:55:48,280 --> 00:55:50,840
Speaker 1: The greatest player maybe of all time at that position.

1060
00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:54,000
Speaker 1: So if anything, I feel bad having him four and

1061
00:55:54,719 --> 00:55:58,280
Speaker 1: you got to call his crowning moment that also helps

1062
00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:01,320
Speaker 1: put him over the top. Let's actually listen to Kevin

1063
00:56:01,400 --> 00:56:05,640
Speaker 1: Harlan's call of Aaron Donald calling game in the Super Bowl.

1064
00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:09,040
Speaker 6: Burrow will look at it three wide from the forty

1065
00:56:09,120 --> 00:56:13,879
Speaker 6: nine of the Rams fourth and one shotgun snap, blow,

1066
00:56:14,040 --> 00:56:15,440
Speaker 6: picks it up, let tackle block.

1067
00:56:15,560 --> 00:56:18,520
Speaker 2: Here comes Donald and he spins.

1068
00:56:18,160 --> 00:56:23,720
Speaker 6: Burrow round Don Trunk with throw it away, the Rams

1069
00:56:23,840 --> 00:56:27,480
Speaker 6: celebrating on the near side on Downes. It goes to

1070
00:56:27,719 --> 00:56:31,040
Speaker 6: LA only one time out for the Begels, and that

1071
00:56:31,520 --> 00:56:36,279
Speaker 6: made to it. That made to it, and that defense

1072
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:38,359
Speaker 6: stands tough for LA.

1073
00:56:39,920 --> 00:56:42,680
Speaker 2: That gives me goosebumps. What do you think listening to that,

1074
00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:43,400
Speaker 2: Kevin Well?

1075
00:56:43,440 --> 00:56:46,040
Speaker 3: I love that play And that was Donald right when

1076
00:56:46,080 --> 00:56:49,880
Speaker 3: you needed the biggest play from your defense of the afternoon.

1077
00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:54,759
Speaker 3: He pressured the terrific Joe Burrow and he spun him

1078
00:56:54,800 --> 00:56:57,360
Speaker 3: around and the ball flies out and he's trying to

1079
00:56:57,360 --> 00:57:01,080
Speaker 3: make a miraculous throw or do whatever to you know,

1080
00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:03,319
Speaker 3: maybe hoping that a penalty has been called with a

1081
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:07,160
Speaker 3: whole downfield or something, and uh, and that was it

1082
00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:10,680
Speaker 3: that closed the door, and Donald realized it and pointed

1083
00:57:10,719 --> 00:57:13,719
Speaker 3: to his finger. I'm going to get my ring. I

1084
00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:15,759
Speaker 3: can't think of a better guy to be the number

1085
00:57:15,800 --> 00:57:18,680
Speaker 3: one defensive player on your list. Great quite frankly, I

1086
00:57:19,360 --> 00:57:22,040
Speaker 3: just when you watched him, you just knew you were

1087
00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:26,120
Speaker 3: watching something that that is not common, Uh, once in

1088
00:57:26,160 --> 00:57:29,400
Speaker 3: a lifetime, generational and and and I think he's I

1089
00:57:29,400 --> 00:57:34,400
Speaker 3: think he's placed perfectly. I always I root for players

1090
00:57:34,400 --> 00:57:36,720
Speaker 3: that are at that stage of their career who have

1091
00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:40,120
Speaker 3: had such great individual decoration but have not gotten the

1092
00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:42,600
Speaker 3: team success, and not Gott. When he got that, it

1093
00:57:42,680 --> 00:57:45,200
Speaker 3: just felt like it was Stafford. I mean it felt right.

1094
00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:47,960
Speaker 3: Here are guys that have put their imprint on this

1095
00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:51,120
Speaker 3: league and and they they were able to get that

1096
00:57:51,120 --> 00:57:54,160
Speaker 3: that championship. Feel bad for the guys that didn't. Marino

1097
00:57:54,240 --> 00:57:56,920
Speaker 3: never got it. And we can go down the list,

1098
00:57:56,960 --> 00:58:00,800
Speaker 3: but but for Donald being the best defensive player that

1099
00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:04,760
Speaker 3: I've ever seen. And I loved Lawrence Taylor, and I

1100
00:58:04,800 --> 00:58:06,960
Speaker 3: called some of his games not in his prime, but

1101
00:58:07,040 --> 00:58:10,360
Speaker 3: later on he was great. And there's no denying he's

1102
00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:14,800
Speaker 3: one of the top two three defensive players ever. We've

1103
00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:18,920
Speaker 3: probably actually in this conversation, talked about the guys that

1104
00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:21,320
Speaker 3: I would put exactly. Reid did what he did on

1105
00:58:21,360 --> 00:58:25,400
Speaker 3: the back end. Watt was terrific, but Donald, Aaron Donald

1106
00:58:25,480 --> 00:58:31,120
Speaker 3: was he was special. And the fact that the multiple

1107
00:58:31,160 --> 00:58:35,960
Speaker 3: All Pro selections, which is really the defining measure of

1108
00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:39,200
Speaker 3: these guys. Pro Bowls are great all start. I get

1109
00:58:39,240 --> 00:58:43,120
Speaker 3: all that it's but that All Pro designation puts you

1110
00:58:43,160 --> 00:58:45,200
Speaker 3: in a category. And when he'd rack up as many

1111
00:58:45,200 --> 00:58:48,240
Speaker 3: as he did, it's a testament to his career and

1112
00:58:48,280 --> 00:58:50,800
Speaker 3: how we've only he's again one of one.

1113
00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:56,640
Speaker 1: He made first team All Pro. Kevin every first team

1114
00:58:57,760 --> 00:59:02,120
Speaker 1: every single year of his career except for two. Now

1115
00:59:02,360 --> 00:59:04,880
Speaker 1: here are the other two. He was a rookie who

1116
00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:07,480
Speaker 1: won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and it was in

1117
00:59:07,560 --> 00:59:10,640
Speaker 1: Saint Louis. That team stunk. It was a sad season,

1118
00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:12,720
Speaker 1: and I remember talking to people that year, the way

1119
00:59:12,760 --> 00:59:16,040
Speaker 1: he finished that season. Among ball knowers, there was a

1120
00:59:16,080 --> 00:59:18,160
Speaker 1: lot of support for him that he should have actually

1121
00:59:18,240 --> 00:59:20,120
Speaker 1: been first team All Pro that year.

1122
00:59:20,160 --> 00:59:23,000
Speaker 2: He was that good already. So that's one of the years.

1123
00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:26,000
Speaker 1: The other year was his ninth year in the league,

1124
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:27,600
Speaker 1: where he got hurt at the end of the year.

1125
00:59:28,000 --> 00:59:32,240
Speaker 1: Missed five games before that, he essentially didn't miss a

1126
00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:36,000
Speaker 1: single game for injury. Missed a couple late late in

1127
00:59:36,040 --> 00:59:38,880
Speaker 1: another season, but he was a guy who you look

1128
00:59:38,920 --> 00:59:42,040
Speaker 1: at the playoff runs, he's playing eighty five ninety five

1129
00:59:42,080 --> 00:59:44,520
Speaker 1: percent snaps. So he reminds me if I had to

1130
00:59:44,520 --> 00:59:46,600
Speaker 1: come up with a confirm, just in terms of career,

1131
00:59:47,040 --> 00:59:49,520
Speaker 1: Jim Brown might be the guy I think of because

1132
00:59:50,000 --> 00:59:53,560
Speaker 1: every single season of Jim Brown's career he was essentially

1133
00:59:53,640 --> 00:59:55,919
Speaker 1: the best at what he did and retired the best

1134
00:59:55,920 --> 00:59:58,120
Speaker 1: to ever do it. I think you can say that

1135
00:59:58,560 --> 01:00:02,200
Speaker 1: about Aaron Donald super Bowl run. That wasn't the only

1136
01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:04,480
Speaker 1: game winning pressure he had. He had one against Jimmy

1137
01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:08,320
Speaker 1: Garoppolo too, So he came through in the absolute biggest moments.

1138
01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:11,000
Speaker 2: I don't know now, I'm now, I'm every one of

1139
01:00:11,000 --> 01:00:12,720
Speaker 2: these guys. I feel bad. I don't even rank them

1140
01:00:12,800 --> 01:00:14,920
Speaker 2: a little bit higher, but he is one of one.

1141
01:00:14,960 --> 01:00:17,240
Speaker 3: As you mentioned, and Greg, as you've you've covered the

1142
01:00:17,280 --> 01:00:20,440
Speaker 3: league for so long, you know, just sitting here talking

1143
01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:22,600
Speaker 3: with you in all the games you've seen practice as

1144
01:00:22,600 --> 01:00:27,200
Speaker 3: players you've interviewed, stories you've written, and things you've talked about,

1145
01:00:27,880 --> 01:00:30,480
Speaker 3: it gives you a moment of pause, doesn't it when

1146
01:00:30,480 --> 01:00:32,880
Speaker 3: you when you talk about the breath we're talking about,

1147
01:00:32,960 --> 01:00:37,120
Speaker 3: you know, two thousand to now in all the great players. Listen,

1148
01:00:37,200 --> 01:00:39,080
Speaker 3: if we went pre that, you know that that's a

1149
01:00:39,080 --> 01:00:42,960
Speaker 3: whole other conversation with the greatest of that position. But

1150
01:00:43,040 --> 01:00:45,600
Speaker 3: I think both of us could honestly say, if you

1151
01:00:45,720 --> 01:00:50,040
Speaker 3: took the greatest single player in the history of Pro

1152
01:00:50,080 --> 01:00:55,760
Speaker 3: football at every position quarterback, receiver, running back, and in

1153
01:00:55,800 --> 01:00:57,960
Speaker 3: the middle of the line, defensive tackle. However, you want

1154
01:00:57,960 --> 01:01:00,880
Speaker 3: to know that whatever you want to call them, Donald

1155
01:01:00,920 --> 01:01:03,439
Speaker 3: would be on that group of twenty two. He would

1156
01:01:03,440 --> 01:01:09,600
Speaker 3: be one of the eleven greatest of all time defensive players.

1157
01:01:09,600 --> 01:01:13,160
Speaker 3: Not saying that what or Reid or Rogers or anybody

1158
01:01:13,200 --> 01:01:17,320
Speaker 3: else we've talked about couldn't be under consideration. I feel

1159
01:01:17,320 --> 01:01:19,960
Speaker 3: pretty confident. I would think you would too, And you

1160
01:01:20,080 --> 01:01:24,000
Speaker 3: just rattled off the incredible ten year running Super Bowl champion.

1161
01:01:24,800 --> 01:01:27,040
Speaker 3: To me, he is one of the best twenty two

1162
01:01:27,080 --> 01:01:30,400
Speaker 3: players ever to play this game. And that's a lot

1163
01:01:30,400 --> 01:01:33,480
Speaker 3: of players and a lot of great players that have

1164
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:34,480
Speaker 3: played on defense.

1165
01:01:34,680 --> 01:01:35,919
Speaker 2: Yeah, and very unique too.

1166
01:01:36,040 --> 01:01:37,400
Speaker 1: You know, It's one of the reasons I think he

1167
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:40,840
Speaker 1: fell in the draft to thirteenth because you mentioned the

1168
01:01:40,840 --> 01:01:45,520
Speaker 1: honors he had in college, but shorter for a defensive lineman. Yes,

1169
01:01:45,720 --> 01:01:48,720
Speaker 1: said he played at two hundred and sixty pounds later

1170
01:01:48,760 --> 01:01:51,040
Speaker 1: in his career, and yet you know, we know he

1171
01:01:51,120 --> 01:01:52,320
Speaker 1: was the quickest guy out there.

1172
01:01:52,360 --> 01:01:54,640
Speaker 2: He was just too quick for everyone to handle.

1173
01:01:54,840 --> 01:01:57,960
Speaker 1: But despite being only you know, two hundred and sixty

1174
01:01:57,960 --> 01:02:00,720
Speaker 1: five to two hundred and eighty pounds, he was the

1175
01:02:00,760 --> 01:02:04,600
Speaker 1: strongest guy out there. Like, he wasn't as physically imposing

1176
01:02:04,680 --> 01:02:06,160
Speaker 1: until you saw him with the shirt off, and then

1177
01:02:06,200 --> 01:02:07,320
Speaker 1: it was just out outrageous.

1178
01:02:07,400 --> 01:02:11,360
Speaker 3: Well, I was first on NFL broadcast in nineteen eighty one,

1179
01:02:12,360 --> 01:02:16,320
Speaker 3: play by play began in eighty five. He is the

1180
01:02:16,360 --> 01:02:20,680
Speaker 3: best interior defensive lineman I've ever seen. And not that

1181
01:02:20,760 --> 01:02:23,720
Speaker 3: my word carries anything, but I've seen a lot of guys,

1182
01:02:23,760 --> 01:02:28,800
Speaker 3: a lot of games voted, and I just off the

1183
01:02:28,840 --> 01:02:31,680
Speaker 3: top of my head, I mean, we could probably have

1184
01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:35,440
Speaker 3: a whole nother show on pre two thousand defensive players.

1185
01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:38,760
Speaker 3: I don't know that anybody effected a game, played it

1186
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:42,400
Speaker 3: in a higher level, and was as revered and decorated

1187
01:02:42,840 --> 01:02:46,720
Speaker 3: in every aspect than Aaron Donald. I have the highest

1188
01:02:46,760 --> 01:02:49,520
Speaker 3: regard never I've talked to him one time on a

1189
01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:52,000
Speaker 3: zoom when we had the Rams back in the day.

1190
01:02:52,680 --> 01:02:55,200
Speaker 3: I've never met him in person, but my respect for

1191
01:02:55,280 --> 01:03:01,520
Speaker 3: him is boundless. And some guys are just the greatest.

1192
01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:05,520
Speaker 3: Twenty two the top twenty two players of all time.

1193
01:03:05,960 --> 01:03:08,120
Speaker 3: Aaron Donald's name is on that list, and I have

1194
01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:11,680
Speaker 3: a feeling your number one guy is probably on that

1195
01:03:11,720 --> 01:03:16,040
Speaker 3: list to a quarterback. But they mentioned Jim Brown. Jim

1196
01:03:16,080 --> 01:03:18,280
Speaker 3: Brown may be the greatest. I never called any of

1197
01:03:18,280 --> 01:03:21,800
Speaker 3: his games, but in a short Gail Sayers, you know

1198
01:03:21,880 --> 01:03:24,120
Speaker 3: for that five or six years that he was healthy

1199
01:03:24,160 --> 01:03:26,240
Speaker 3: before he blew the n E. He may have been

1200
01:03:26,280 --> 01:03:31,800
Speaker 3: in that Brown conversation, but it's just how lucky have

1201
01:03:31,840 --> 01:03:33,680
Speaker 3: we been to see players like that? And in the

1202
01:03:33,720 --> 01:03:36,720
Speaker 3: four players here we've talked about in this segment with

1203
01:03:36,800 --> 01:03:40,560
Speaker 3: the quarterback Rogers and JJ Watt and Ed Reid and

1204
01:03:41,000 --> 01:03:42,440
Speaker 3: finishing up with Aaron Donald.

1205
01:03:42,520 --> 01:03:45,120
Speaker 1: Appreciate it, Kevin Harlan, and you're like, who am I

1206
01:03:45,160 --> 01:03:46,880
Speaker 1: to be ranking these guys? You've seen more of these

1207
01:03:46,920 --> 01:03:50,480
Speaker 1: games than anyone you are. The guests, my son was

1208
01:03:50,560 --> 01:03:53,080
Speaker 1: most excited when I told them that you're coming on

1209
01:03:53,120 --> 01:03:55,360
Speaker 1: the show today. My son Walker was like, what do

1210
01:03:55,400 --> 01:03:57,640
Speaker 1: you have Kevin Harlan And I was like, yeah, it's

1211
01:03:57,640 --> 01:03:59,960
Speaker 1: gonna be pretty cool. And your your enthusiasm, your love

1212
01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:02,840
Speaker 1: for the game really comes through to talking about these

1213
01:04:02,880 --> 01:04:05,400
Speaker 1: players but also in the game. So I thank you

1214
01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:08,960
Speaker 1: for our listeners, for my son too, of just helping

1215
01:04:09,000 --> 01:04:10,640
Speaker 1: our enjoyment of watching it.

1216
01:04:10,680 --> 01:04:12,280
Speaker 2: Really appreciate you, Kevin well.

1217
01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:13,760
Speaker 3: Thank you, Greg, and honor to be on with you.

1218
01:04:14,120 --> 01:04:17,640
Speaker 3: Privileged to be a part of this great listing of

1219
01:04:17,680 --> 01:04:20,400
Speaker 3: the most wonderful players dur in this quarter century.

1220
01:04:20,480 --> 01:04:21,600
Speaker 2: Yes, and it's not over yet.

1221
01:04:22,160 --> 01:04:26,240
Speaker 1: Our next episode will be the series finale. We are

1222
01:04:26,360 --> 01:04:30,120
Speaker 1: ranking the top three players. Yes, it's been twenty five

1223
01:04:30,120 --> 01:04:32,960
Speaker 1: players in twenty five years, only three to go and

1224
01:04:33,360 --> 01:04:36,680
Speaker 1: really looking forward to that finale for Kevin Harlan.

1225
01:04:36,720 --> 01:04:37,760
Speaker 2: I'm Greg Rosenthal.

1226
01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:38,640
Speaker 4: We'll see you next time.